Description

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease affect a growing number of patients worldwide due to the aging of the human population. Currently, we only have symptomatic therapies for these diseases, due to our limited understanding of their molecular underpinnings. Therefore, it is essential to embark on novel studies that should challenge concepts and ideas that have not necessarily resulted in major advances. For example, and despite years of intensive research, it is still not clear whether protein aggregation is a cause or consequence of other disease mechanisms. The normal functions of key proteins such as tau, amyloid precursor protein/amyloid-beta, and alpha-synuclein, are only poorly understood. In this symposium, we will cover novel concepts in the field of neurodegeneration, focusing on those related to major disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This is a field of great interest and expertise in the Portuguese community, so we are confident we will attract the participation of many junior scientists who can be selected for oral presentations.