Signaling Molecules and Diagnosis of Cognitive Disorders: Current State and Prospects

Cognitive disorders present significant medical and social challenges nowadays, due to their high prevalence, progressive course and a lack of effective methods for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and comorbid pathologies. An important path for solving this problem is the search for reliable biomarkers that allow for early and differential diagnosis, especially in view of the similarity between clinical manifestations of different forms of dementia. This study provides an overview of the most relevant signaling molecules for diagnosing cognitive disorders. It presents data on the effectiveness of using comprehensive panels of molecular biomarkers in clinical practice, including β-amyloid, CD34, claudin, DRP1, endothelin-1, NF-kB, PINK1, RAGE, S100, α-synuclein, and tau protein, in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). The study results demonstrate a high diagnostic relevance of the combined use of signaling molecules as a biomarker panel for screening and differentiating neurodegenerative diseases.