Young Scientist Award 2007

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the most frequent neurodegenerative disorders and cause of disability among western societies. Interest in the selective inhibition of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) has increased in the last years due to their therapeutic potential in this age related neurodegeneration. Currently, acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are the only drugs approved for treatment of cognitive dysfunction in AD and dopamine (DA) replacement therapy with levodopa (L-Dopa) in conjunction with irreversible MAO-B inhibitors (e.g. Deprenyl) is the present first-line treatment regime in PD.