Preface

Over the past several years, a substantial amount of information supporting new therapeutic approaches for neuroprotection has been generated. Neuroprotective strategies are developed to slow down or conceivably stop neurological disease progression and prevent the development of upsetting or painful disability. The development of new approaches and improvement of current ones are the major unmet medical needs in the treatment of neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy following perinatal asphyxia, traumatic brain injury, chronic cerebral hypoxia in metabolic syndrome, mitochondrial dysfunction, and so.

Nearly 25%–30% of the world population is affected by neurological diseases, exerting great financial strain on the healthcare system. The costs are estimated at around \$800 billion annually, which is expected to exponentially increase as the population ages and more people become at high risk of debilitating neurological diseases.

The book was conceived and developed to revisit, discuss, and compile some promising current approaches in neuroprotection, as well as to consider current goals and prospects.

A varied spectrum of neuroprotective strategies has been suggested including combined antioxidative–anti-inflammatory treatments, ozone autohemotherapy, hypothermia, cell therapy, the administration of neurotrophic factors, hemofiltration, and others. Distressingly, none of the currently available neuroprotective approaches has so far proven to prolong either life span or the cardinal symptoms of patients suffering from brain injury. Moreover, translational studies are still lacking.

The book is organized into three sections. Section I "Neuroprotection in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases" discusses the neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids, peptides, polyphenols, medicinal plants' extracts and essential oils, and others. Section II "Neuroprotection in Cerebral Ischemia and Other Neurological Diseases" deals with topics like protein misfolding as a novel neuroprotective target, the neuroprotective potential of vitamin E, neuroactive steroids, and so on. Section III "Mechanisms of Action of Other Potential Neuroprotective Treatments" approaches subjects like the neuroprotective potential of glyproline proampakine, aptamers, lifestyle factors, and mitochondrial dynamics, hydrogen sulfide, and anti-inflammatory agents.

> **Matilde Otero-Losada** Biomedical Research Center, Interamerican Open University (CAECIHS-UAI), National Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
