NRF2 signaling cascade in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: bridging the gap between promise and reality.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a very disabling disease due to the degeneration of motor neurons. Symptoms include muscle weakness and atrophy, spasticity, and progressive paralysis. Currently, there is no treatment to reverse damage to motor neurons and cure amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Sigma-1 receptor agonist PRE-084 confers protection against TAR DNA-binding protein-43 toxicity through NRF2 signalling.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting upper and lower motor neurons. As a consequence, ALS patients display a locomotor disorder related to muscle weakness and progressive paralysis. Pathological mechanisms that participate in ALS involve deficient unfolded protein response, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, among others.

Combining Gene Transfer and Nonhuman Primates to Better Understand and Treat Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive CNS disorder that is primarily associated with impaired movement. PD develops over decades and is linked to the gradual loss of dopamine delivery to the striatum, the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). While the administration of L-dopa and deep brain stimulation are potent therapies, their costs, side effects and gradual loss of efficacy underlines the need to develop other approaches.

FGF1 protects neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells from p53-dependent apoptosis through an intracrine pathway regulated by FGF1 phosphorylation.

Neuroblastoma, a sympathetic nervous system tumor, accounts for 15% of cancer deaths in children. In contrast to most human tumors, p53 is rarely mutated in human primary neuroblastoma, suggesting impaired p53 activation in neuroblastoma. Various studies have shown correlations between fgf1 expression levels and both prognosis severity and tumor chemoresistance.

Lessons from the analysis of nonhuman primates for understanding human aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Animal models are necessary tools for solving the most serious challenges facing medical research. In aging and neurodegenerative disease studies, rodents occupy a place of choice. However, the most challenging questions about longevity, the complexity and functioning of brain networks or social intelligence can almost only be investigated in nonhuman primates.