Brain Fables
The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them
Published on 9. July 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
174 pages
978-1-108-74462-1 (ISBN)
Description
An estimated 80 million people live with a neurodegenerative disease. That number is expected to increase rapidly as populations age, lifespans increase, and exposure to toxins rises. Despite decades of research and billions in funding, there are no medications that can slow, much less stop, the progress of these diseases. This is because diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's do not exist in biology. Yet, hundreds of clinical trials around the world are examining the potential of single therapies in thousands of people sharing one of these labels. Compounding the problem, these therapies were developed on evidence from models that do not come close to capturing the complexity of these diseases in the affected humans. These practices must end. Brain Fables is a call to refocus on understanding living and aging to create the personalized treatments each affected individual desperately needs.
Reviews / Votes
'This book attempts to incorporate overarching scientific themes with a detailed overview of pathophysiology and clinical features of Parkinson's disease. The chapters examine clinical features, subtypes and progression of the disease, ways of looking at the disease scientifically, a comparison to oncology, and a review of disease modifying treatments versus symptomatic treatment. The diagrams and tables are outstanding and the production values are excellent. The book, however, is limited by the attempt to tackle big concepts for a more lay public with very technical writing, an unimaginative look at theory and facts, and the distinctly different styles between the two authors.' Rohit Das, Doody's Book Review ServiceMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 7 Tables, black and white; 35 Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
284 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-74462-1 (9781108744621)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Alberto Espay
Brain Fables
The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them
E-Book
07/2020
Cambridge University Press
€14.49
Available for download
Alberto Espay | Benjamin Stecher
Brain Fables
The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them
E-Book
07/2020
Cambridge University Press
€20.99
Available for download
Persons
Alberto Espay is Professor of Neurology and Endowed Chair of the University of Cincinnati James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders. He has published extensively on Parkinson's disease and leads the first phenotype-agnostic biomarker development program for patients with neurodegenerative diseases (CCBP) designed to deploy bioassays aiming at matching available therapies with those most likely to benefit, regardless of their clinical diagnosis.
Content
Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. The shaky six and the 'second reality'; 2. Pieces of a puzzle?; 3. Disease 'redefinition': a tough pill to swallow; 4. Disease subtypes: the promise and the fallacy; 5. Protein paradox; 6. The fault in our models; 7. Biomarkers: the promise and the fallacy; 8. Lessons from oncology; 9. Symptomatic vs. disease-modifying therapies; 10. The hypothesis that refuses to die; 11. Our living dissonance; 12. The scientific and lay narratives; 13. Challenges viewed from afar; 14. The moonshot: population-based studies of aging; 15. Predictions for the 2020s and beyond; Epilogue. 'When will we have a cure for Parkinson's disease?"; Note added at press time; References; Index.