Neurodegenerative Diseases: Unifying Principles

by Jeffrey L. Cummings (Editor), Jagan A. Pillai (Editor)

As the global population ages the impact of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are significant forces in shaping human health and quality of life in the 21st century. Insights into understanding these diseases, and knowing how to treat them are major frontiers of scientific research.

Neurodegenerative Diseases: Unifying Principles is the result of a conceptual revolution over the last decade in our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases as sharing unifying features. There is an increasing appreciation of the common biological and pathological features across seemingly varied neurodegenerative diseases that entail protein misfolding dysfunction and its consequences over time. Providing an overview of this conceptual change is the main theme for the book. Conventional approach emphasize the differences among neurodegenerative disorders, here Drs. Cummings and Pillai compile the increasingly compelling evidence that these disorders share many features and that insights in one may be rapidly translated into advances in another. The goal is to accelerate understanding by showing linkages among biological, pathological, can clinical aspects of this class of diseases.

This collection of 19, inter-related chapters, articulates and broadens our view of the unifying features that initiate and drive disease progression across a variety of neurodegenerative diseases over time. This book will serve as an outstanding sourcebook of insights from experts that have played key roles in this story.

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2016

About the author

UNLV research professor Jeffrey L. Cummings is a neurologist globally recognized for his contributions to Alzheimer's research, drug development, and clinical trials. He serves as the Joy Chambers-Grundy professor of brain science and director of the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine's Department of Brain Health.

Dr. Cummings leads the UNLV Clinical Trials Observatory, the world’s only research observatory devoted exclusively to analyzing the pipeline of Alzheimer's drugs in clinical trials to better inform drug development decisions. He also heads a biomarker observatory, which captures and categorizes emerging information on blood tests, brain scans, and digital devices related to Alzheimer's disease.

Prior to joining UNLV in 2019, Dr. Cummings served as founding director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, as well as two UCLA entities — the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, and the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics.

Named a “Rock Star of Science” by Gentleman’s Quarterly, Dr. Cummings — a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science — has published 43 books and more than 900 peer-reviewed articles on neuropsychiatry, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical trials.

His numerous recognitions for his scientific and leadership contributions include the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry’s Distinguished Scientist Award, Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Drug Development from the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the national Alzheimer’s Association’s Bengt Winblad Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2024, he was ranked by ScholarGPS as the world's top scholar for his lifetime contributions in the areas of dementia and drug development.
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