Identification of Distinct and Common Biological Pathways in Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Correlation-based Gene Expression Analysis

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are a group of diseases with devastating effects on the brain and nervous system that are often progressive and incurable. Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are the most common diseases in this group. In this study, we sought to identify both common and disease-specific biological signaling pathways in AD, PD and ALS. Differential gene expression (DEGs) analyses were performed using microarray and RNA-Seq data from the NCBI GEO database, and specific gene co-expression networks were generated for each disease. These networks revealed differences in gene expression between diseased and healthy groups. Functional enrichment analyses were performed using the KEGG and Reactome databases, and the results showed that common biological pathways such as PI3K/Akt, calcium signaling, synaptic transmission, and transcriptional regulation were prominent. In addition, distinct biological pathways were also identified for each disease. These results contribute to a better understanding of the molecular structure of NDDs and provide potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.