Abstract

“CLINICAL FEATURES AND DIAGNOSTIC APPROACHES IN MAJOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES: AN UPDATED REVIEW”

Ajeet Singh*, Prashant Mishra, Rishabh Maurya, Tanushka Singh, Dr. Manju Pandey, Sarita Singh

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Abstract

There are numerous clinical questions that do not have simple answers, even for well-trained medical professionals. The diagnostic instrument frequently used to evaluate cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative diseases is founded on established clinical criteria. However, differentiating between disorders can be quite challenging, particularly in the early stages or with atypical presentations. This issue becomes particularly significant when there is still a chance to apply an appropriate treatment. To resolve this challenge, doctors must have access to a variety of diagnostic tests, such as neurofunctional imaging, which provide greater specificity in clinical evaluations. Nonetheless, the reliability of these diagnostic tests can vary, so the diagnostic validity of a specific investigation must be determined by comparing the results obtained from ―true‖ criteria to the ―gold standard‖ or reference test. While pathological analysis is deemed the gold standard for a wide range of diseases, it cannot be utilized for neurological processes. Other methods may offer potential solutions, including clinical follow-up of patients, the creation of a data bank, or the implementation of computer-aided diagnostic algorithms. Neurodegenerative diseases are a prevalent source of morbidity and cognitive dysfunction in the elderly population. Most healthcare providers who work with older adults are not adequately trained to identify these conditions, aside from the wellknown Alzheimer‘s disease (AD). its variants, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), Parkinson‘s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and Huntington‘s disease (HD). For each condition, we present a brief overview of the epidemiology, defining clinical symptoms and diagnostic criteria, relevant imaging and laboratory features, genetics, pathology, treatments, and differential diagnosis.

Keywords: Neurodegenerative, Alzheimer‘s disease, epidemiological data, neuroimaging, Huntington‘s disease.