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Why Neuroscience? Why Now?

By all accounts, modern neuroscience is witnessing an unprecedented confluence of discoveries and revelations that are putting cures within reach. This is particularly true in the case of neurodegenerative diseases, disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and Huntington's, which are all marked by the progressive degeneration and death of nerve cells in distinct regions of the brain.

As scientists delve more deeply into the brain changes underlying neurodegenerative disorders, a number of commonalities have become clear. For example, each of these conditions has been traced to “protein aggregation,” the abnormal build-up of certain proteins in the brain (e.g., amyloid in Alzheimer's). Mechanisms such as oxidative stress, inflammatory processes, and “cell suicide” or apoptosis also seem to play roles in each of these diseases.

These common links fuel hope that advances in one neurodegenerative disease may be applicable to others as well, thereby speeding progress even more rapidly – at least in theory. One key to turning this theory into reality is active cross-collaboration of ideas and advances, which is precisely what the Farber Institute for Neurosciences has been designed to do.

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