Cellular and Molecular Biology of Neurodegeneration Study Section – CMND
The Cellular and Molecular Neurodegeneration (CMND) Study Section reviews applications to study cellular and molecular aspects of neurodegeneration at the mechanistic level. Also considered are the role of genetic factors, trophic molecules and extrinsic influences in neurodegenerative disorders.
Disorders of interest include Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementias, tauopathies, Parkinson’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementias, Huntington’s disease, spinobulbar muscular atrophy, spinocerebellar and Friedreich’s ataxias, and prion diseases. Applications may include studies with cellular and molecular endpoints in vitro, in cells, and/or in vivo including higher vertebrate animal genetic models as well as model organisms such as C. elegans, Drosophila, Yeast and zebrafish.
The List of Reviewers lists all present, whether standing members or temporary, to provide the full scope of expertise present on that date. Lists are posted 30 days before the meeting and are tentative, pending any last minute changes.
Review Dates
Topics
- Consequences of disturbances in proteostasis in neurodegeneration: abnormal protein folding, aggregation, clearance and spreading in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.
- Delineation of cellular and physiological effects of aggregated proteins (e.g., beta amyloid, tau, alpha-synuclein, TDP-43) on neuronal function.
- Studies of pathogenic RNA mechanisms in neurodegeneration.
- Characterization of molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying triple nucleotide repeat expansion neurodegenerative disorders.
- Characterization of abnormal protein processing associated with neurodegenerative disorders.
- Studies of epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation and histone modifications in transcriptional disturbances observed in neurodegenerative diseases.
Shared Interests and Overlaps
Chronic Dysfunction and Integrative Neurodegeneration (CDIN). Applications that focus on pre-clinical, integrated physiological aspects of neurodegeneration as consequences of cellular disturbances, and possible therapeutic strategies, would be reviewed in CDIN.
Neural Oxidative Metabolism and Death (NOMD). Applications with an emphasis on cell death, neuroprotection, oxidative metabolism or basic aspects of neuronal mitochondria biology in the context of neurodegeneration would be reviewed in NOMD.
Cellular and Molecular Biology of Glia (CMBG). Applications focusing on neurodegenerative processes that primarily involve glia would be reviewed in CMBG.
Molecular Neurogenetics (MNG). Application with a significant focus on basic genetic mechanisms and genomics approaches would typically be reviewed in MNG.
There are shared interests in neurodegenerative processes with Neuronal Communications (NC). Applications involving synapses, the cytoskeleton or trafficking but focused on the neurodegenerative processes are reviewed in CMND. Neurodegenerative applications with a significant emphasis on synaptic mechanisms, cytoskeleton regulation, or intracellular trafficking machinery are reviewed in NC.
