Abstract
Over 17 500 articles have been published about homocysteine, indicating intense biomedical research interest in this compound. Homocysteine has been associated with a large number of health conditions, in particular with cardiovascular and neurological diseases. This chapter will focus on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases, since a great deal of evidence links homocysteine to the pathogenesis of these conditions. Therapies designed to lower circulating plasma homocysteine levels have not had a major impact on progression of neurodegenerative diseases. More recently, the description of novel pathways clarifies how homocysteine influences neurodegenerative disease by affecting neuronal viability and function and epigenetic alterations to gene expression. These new insights have the potential for benefiting neurodegenerative disorders by amelioration of the adverse effects of abnormal homocysteine metabolism.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Homocysteine: Structure, Biosynthesis and Health Implications |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2014 |