A NEW HYPOTHESIS OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES - THE DELETERIOUS NETWORK HYPOTHESIS

Growing evidence has indicated the existence of deleterious networks i n the brains of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's dis ease. Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntingto n's disease. The deleterious networks are formed on the basis of the i ntimate interactions among the key pathogenic factors, including oxida tive damage, aberrant calcium homeostasis, metabolic compromise and, u nder certain circumstances, amyloid' precursor protein mismetabolism. Based on the novel concept, 'deleterious network, a unifying hypothesi s, the deleterious network hypothesis of neurodegenerative diseases, i s proposed. This new theory stresses that the deleterious network is j ust the common pathway of the degenerative disorders, triggering of wh ich by aging, certain genetic or environmental factors leads to a casc ade of pathological alterations of the illnesses. It appears that this new theory has synthesized some most appealing hypotheses about neuro degenerative illnesses, providing consistent explanations to a larger number of observations about those diseases than other hypotheses. Bec ause the disorders appear to result from the interactions among the ke y detrimental factors, it is suggested that the patients of the neurod egenerative diseases should be treated by combinative application of t he drugs which can diminish peroxidative damage, calcium mismetabolism and metabolic compromise.