| ABSTRACT |
Facing the alarming growth of dementia and neurodegenerative conditions has become a critical priority across the globe. Although most research on this subject is concentrated in first-world centers, growing efforts in South American countries (SACs) are affording important breakthroughs. This emerging agenda poses not only new challenges for the region, but also new opportunities for the field at large. This Research Topic engages researchers from the world over, helping to integrate the international community of experts and to establish new challenges and developments for future investigation. We present original research in SACs, including studies assessing the interplay among genetic, neural, and behavioral dimensions of these diseases, as well as articles on vulnerability factors, comparisons of findings from various countries, and works promoting multicenter and collaborative networking. More generally, our Research Topic covers a broad scope of human research approaches (behavioral assessment, neuroimaging, electromagnetic techniques, brain connectivity, peripheral measures), animal methodologies (genetics, epigenetics, proteomics, metabolomics, other molecular biology tools), target species (human and non-human animals, sporadic, and genetic versions), and article types (mainly original research articles, but also case reports, data reports, commentaries, opinions, and reviews), all based on work conducted in SACs. Here, we summarize the main contributions included in the volume. Through this wide-ranging proposal, we hope to introduce a fresh approach to the challenges and opportunities of research on neurodegeneration across these countries, focusing on two overarching levels of evidence (human and animal research), as summarized below. |
| RESUMEN |
En esta edición especial, reunimos cientos de expertos regionales que abordan desde múltiples perspectivas los desafíos y oportunidades específicas de Sudamérica para enfrentar la demencia. Los aportes se realizan desde múltiples perspectivas, desde las políticas públicas, la investigación clínica, los modelos preclínicos en animales, y la investigación neurocientífica, entre otros. |