Editorial: Cell death mechanisms in neurodegenerative disorders

Cell death regulation is one of the important features that underlies the health and diseased conditions. All major neurodegenerative and neurological disorders inclusive of cancers and neurodegeneration can widely be attributed to dysregulated cell death mechanisms. Millions of people worldwide suffer from neurological and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s Disease (HD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Stroke (Sarkar et al., 2016; Narwal et al., 2024). A common underlying feature for all these conditions is neuronal cell death, which has been studied in great detail by researchers for understanding the “cause and the effect” of the symptoms (Singh, 2012). Current understanding gathered from different model organisms, organoid transplants and the in-vitro approaches points in the direction that the majority of neurodegenerative disorders are due to proteinopathies, which eventually result in neuronal cell death. This Research Topic emphasizes on the advancements in understanding the varied mechanisms underlying different types of cell death(s) during the course of neurodegenerative disorders. The Research Topic advances the understanding and raises new questions to aid ongoing research across different model systems. Conservation of genetic machinery and amenability of various models to genetic manipulation helped address these questions in various animal models. We believe that this Research Topic enables researchers to develop detailed understanding of cell death mechanisms, unravel the gaps and missing links and identify the interconnecting pathways to discern neurodegenerative disorders to develop better therapies and management strategies.