Nanotechnology in the Prevention and Treatment of Neurological Disorders

Nanotechnology is an actively developing science and has its branches in many fields of science and technology. The delivery of drugs to the central nervous system (CNS) for the treatment of motor disorders and their passage through the blood–brain barrier (BBB) represents a significant challenge. There are active developments in the field of movement disorders, but one of the most significant challenges present for the treatment of movement disorders is to develop a unique chemical compound feasible to cross through the BBB. Multiple factors contribute to successful delivery of drugs to the CNS. The technologies that are being developed are aimed at the development of carriers that allow genetic material to pass through the BBB, enter the tissue, followed by introduction into the cytoplasm and nucleus to increase the expression of genes necessary for protein biosynthesis or suppress the expression of defective genes. Recent technological advancements in understanding movement disorders provided a great benefit in establishing novel nanomaterials that demonstrated significant efficacy in animal studies. Currently, nanotechnology provides a set of particles, functionally capable of enhancing the regeneration capacity of neurons through limiting oxidative stress, chemically modified drug transporters that are potential candidates to be implemented and studied in clinical trials, as they increase permeability of BBB by 4- to 10-fold. Nanovectors and gene therapy have a significant capacity to turn “off” undesired genes and turn “on” regeneration genes which is beneficial to limit progression of movement disorders.