With the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases on the rise as average life expectancy increases, the hunt for effective treatments and preventive measures for these disorders is a pressing challenge. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been termed ‘protein misfolding disorders’ that are char- terized by the neural accumulation of protein aggregates. Manipulation of the cellular stress response involving the induction of heat shock proteins offers a the- peutic strategy to counter conformational changes in neural proteins that trigger pathogenic cascades resulting in neurodegenerative diseases. Heat shock proteins are protein repair agents that provide a line of defense against misfolded, aggregati- prone proteins. Heat Shock Proteins and the Brain: Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Neuroprotection reviews current progress on neural heat shock proteins (HSP) in relation to neurodegenerative diseases (Part I), neuroprotection (Part II), ext- cellular HSP (Part III) and aging and control of life span (Part IV). Key basic and clinical research laboratories from major universities and hospitals around the world contribute chapters that review present research activity and importantly project the field into the future. The book is a must read for researchers, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the fields of Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Molecular Medicine, Aging, Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology.

Heat Shock Proteins and Neurodegenerative Diseases.- Chaperones and Polyglutamine Expansion Disorders.- Heat Shock Proteins, Unfolded Protein Response Chaperones and Alzheimer’s Disease.- Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Parkinson’s Disease: The Role of Molecular Chaperones.- Heat Shock Proteins as Therapeutic Targets in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.- The Role of Chaperones and Co-Chaperones in Retinal Degenerative Diseases.- Neuroprotective Features Of Hsp90 Inhibitors Exhibiting Anti-Inflammatory Actions: Implications For Multiple Sclerosis.- Role of HspB1 and HspB8 in Hereditary Peripheral Neuropathies: Beyond the Chaperone Function.- Heat Shock Proteins and Neuroprotection.- Heat Shock Proteins Hsp70 and Hsp27 and Neural Cellular Protection.- Molecular Chaperones and Protection in Animal and Cellular Models of Ischemic Stroke.- Strategies for Conferring Neuroprotection and Countering the High Threshold for Induction of the Stress Response in Motor Neurons.- Use of Viral Gene Delivery Systems to Investigate the Neuroprotective Roles of Hsp70 and Hsp40 Proteins.- Heat Shock Proteins at the Synapse: Implications for Functional Protection of the Nervous System.- Extracellular Heat Shock Proteins and The Nervous System.- Release of Heat Shock Proteins and their Effects When in the Extracellular Space in the Nervous System.- Silencing of Metastasis-associated Gene 1 (Mta1) Stimulates Hsp70 Cellular Release and Neurite extension in Neuroblastoma Cells.- Extracellular Chaperones and Amyloids.- Aging, Control Of Life Span and Expression Of Heat Shock Proteins.- Neural Expression Of Small Heat Shock Proteins Influences Longevity And Resistance To Oxidative Stress.- Mechanistic Links Between Aging and Aggregation-Mediated Proteotoxicity: Role of HSF-1 andDAF-16.- Protein Quality Control and Heat Shock Gene Expression in the Nervous System.- Serum Hsp70 Level as a Biomarker of Exceptional Longevity.- Heat Shock Proteins and the Brain: Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Neuroprotection.

With the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases on the rise as average life expectancy increases, the hunt for effective treatments and preventive measures for these disorders is a pressing challenge. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been termed ‘protein misfolding disorders’ that are char- terized by the neural accumulation of protein aggregates. Manipulation of the cellular stress response involving the induction of heat shock proteins offers a the- peutic strategy to counter conformational changes in neural proteins that trigger pathogenic cascades resulting in neurodegenerative diseases. Heat shock proteins are protein repair agents that provide a line of defense against misfolded, aggregati- prone proteins. Heat Shock Proteins and the Brain: Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Neuroprotection reviews current progress on neural heat shock proteins (HSP) in relation to neurodegenerative diseases (Part I), neuroprotection (Part II), ext- cellular HSP (Part III) and aging and control of life span (Part IV). Key basic and clinical research laboratories from major universities and hospitals around the world contribute chapters that review present research activity and importantly project the field into the future. The book is a must read for researchers, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the fields of Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Molecular Medicine, Aging, Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology.