Recent progress in neurodegenerative disorder research in China.

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), are common disorders of the central nervous system among aging populations. In the last 10 years insights concerning the etiology, diagnosis and pathogenesis of these diseases have come from research carried out by Chinese neuroscientists. Their findings include the description of Chinese patients with autosomal recessive early-onset PD, the function of the tau protein, molecular mechanisms underlying protein aggregation, and the identification of biomarkers for AD diagnosis and molecules/compounds with potential neuroprotective activities.