Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Basic aspects of neurodegeneration
- 1 Endogenous free radicals and antioxidants in the brain
- 2 Biological oxidants and therapeutic antioxidants
- 3 Mitochondria, metabolic inhibitors and neurodegeneration
- 4 Excitoxicity and excitatory amino acid antagonists in chronic neurodegenerative diseases
- 5 Glutamate transporters
- 6 Calcium binding proteins in selective vulnerability of motor neurons
- 7 Apoptosis in neurodegenerative diseases
- 8 Neurotrophic factors
- 9 Protein misfolding and cellular defense mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases
- 10 Neurodegenerative disease and the repair of oxidatively damaged DNA
- 11 Compounds acting on ion channels
- 12 The role of nitric oxide and PARP in neuronal cell death
- 13 Copper and zinc in Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- 14 The role of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease neuropathology and clinical dementia. From epidemiology to treatment
- 15 Selected genetically engineered models relevant to human neurodegenerative disease
- 16 Toxic animal models
- 17 A genetic outline of the pathways to cell death in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontal dementias and related disorders
- 18 Neurophysiology of Parkinson's disease, levodopa-induced dyskinesias, dystonia, Huntington's disease and myoclonus
- Part II Neuroimaging in neurodegeneration
- Part III Therapeutic approaches in neurodegeneration
- Normal aging
- Part IV Alzheimer's disease
- Part VI Other Dementias
- Part VII Parkinson's and related movement disorders
- Part VIII Cerebellar degenerations
- Part IX Motor neuron diseases
- Part X Other neurodegenerative diseases
- Index
- References
2 - Biological oxidants and therapeutic antioxidants
from Part I - Basic aspects of neurodegeneration
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Basic aspects of neurodegeneration
- 1 Endogenous free radicals and antioxidants in the brain
- 2 Biological oxidants and therapeutic antioxidants
- 3 Mitochondria, metabolic inhibitors and neurodegeneration
- 4 Excitoxicity and excitatory amino acid antagonists in chronic neurodegenerative diseases
- 5 Glutamate transporters
- 6 Calcium binding proteins in selective vulnerability of motor neurons
- 7 Apoptosis in neurodegenerative diseases
- 8 Neurotrophic factors
- 9 Protein misfolding and cellular defense mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases
- 10 Neurodegenerative disease and the repair of oxidatively damaged DNA
- 11 Compounds acting on ion channels
- 12 The role of nitric oxide and PARP in neuronal cell death
- 13 Copper and zinc in Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- 14 The role of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease neuropathology and clinical dementia. From epidemiology to treatment
- 15 Selected genetically engineered models relevant to human neurodegenerative disease
- 16 Toxic animal models
- 17 A genetic outline of the pathways to cell death in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontal dementias and related disorders
- 18 Neurophysiology of Parkinson's disease, levodopa-induced dyskinesias, dystonia, Huntington's disease and myoclonus
- Part II Neuroimaging in neurodegeneration
- Part III Therapeutic approaches in neurodegeneration
- Normal aging
- Part IV Alzheimer's disease
- Part VI Other Dementias
- Part VII Parkinson's and related movement disorders
- Part VIII Cerebellar degenerations
- Part IX Motor neuron diseases
- Part X Other neurodegenerative diseases
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
A book chapter represents a special type of literature overview, which offers the promise of covering topics and addressing issues which are relevant and topical but which will also stand the test of time. It is appealing to focus on topical issues, which will hopefully provide some immediate insight into problems and questions confronting investigators in the field. However, undue focus on topical issues predisposes the discussion to becoming dated prior to, or shortly after, appearing in print. Thus, the expressed purpose of this chapter will be to deal with broader concepts which will, hopefully, provide stable foundations to interpret results and permit better comprehension of both current and future topical issues relating to nitrogen oxide-derived oxidative injury relevant to neurodegenerative disease. The author's training and research background is in the chemistry and biochemistry of biologically produced oxidants, biochemical mechanisms of oxidative injury, and the pharmacology of endogenous and synthetic antioxidants. Thus, these perspectives will be emphasized, leaving the broader issues of neuroscience to the preeminent neuroscientists elsewhere in this volume. Also, because entire chapters could be devoted to many of the topics covered, citations for relevant literature reviews will be emphasized and the primary literature cited only when necessary.
Why is identification of reactive species and biomolecular targets so difficult?
For many decades, it has been understood that oxidative injury, both acute and chronic, plays a central role in numerous human disease processes and aging, yet major advances in identifying specific reactive species and/or the specific biomolecular targets responsible for cell injury and death have been few and far between.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Neurodegenerative DiseasesNeurobiology, Pathogenesis and Therapeutics, pp. 18 - 32Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005