Unfolding the role of protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases

Recent evidence indicates that diverse neurodegenerative diseases might have a common cause and pathological mechanism — the misfolding, aggregation and accumulation of proteins in the brain, resulting in neuronal apoptosis. Studies from different disciplines strongly support this hypothesis and indicate that a common therapy for these devastating disorders might be possible. The aim of this article is to review the literature on the molecular mechanism of protein misfolding and aggregation, its role in neurodegeneration and the potential targets for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative diseases. Many questions still need to be answered and future research in this field will result in exciting new discoveries that might impact other areas of biology.