Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: an environmental proteomic point of view

Abstract

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are severe neurodegenerative conditions triggered by complex biochemical routes. Many groups are currently pursuing the search for valuable biomarkers to either perform early diagnostic or to follow the disease's progress. Several studies have reported relevant findings regarding environmental issues and the progression of such diseases. Here the etiology and mechanisms of these diseases are briefly reviewed. Approaches that might reveal candidate biomarkers and environmental stressors associated to the diseases were analyzed under a proteomic perspective. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Environmental and structural proteomics.

Keywords: Alzheimer's; Biomarkers; Environmental factors; Mass spectrometry; Neurodegenerative diseases; Parkinson's.