Globally, the burden of neurological disorders has increased substantially over the past 30 years because of expanding population numbers and ageing, despite substantial decreases in mortality rates from stroke and communicable neurological disorders.1
The number of patients who will need care by clinicians with expertise in neurological conditions will continue to grow in coming decades.2
Neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and others, would ideally exhibit a unique pathology to allow clinicians to distinguish particular conditions and give a reliable diagnosis and treatment.3
In reality, however, many neurodegenerative diseases share similar symptoms and features and the task of diagnosis is often challenging.3
Biomarkers are urgently needed to aid diagnosis, monitor disease progression and as new medicines are introduced, detect the patient’s response to treatment.3
References
