Abstract: The present application provides a method for treating a neurodegenerative disease in a subject characterised in that the endoplasmic reticulum protein retrotranslocation machinery and/or VCP is modulated by administering to said subject a therapeutically effective amount of a modulator of said endoplasmic reticulum protein retrotranslocation machinery and/or of VCP.

Abstract: The present application provides a method for diagnosing a neurodegenerative disease in a subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease, said method comprising the steps of a) having said subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease perform a series of fast, brief and powerful movements that recruit fast-fatigable motoneurons (ballistic movements), and b) comparing the performance in step a) of said subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease with a standard value obtained by assessing the performance of a normal population for the same series of fast, brief and powerful movements that recruit fast-fatigable motoneurons, wherein a significant deviation of performance by said subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease is indicative of the onset of said neurodegenerative disease.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of modulating, treating or effecting prophylaxis of a subject having anxiety or at risk of developing symptoms of anxiety, said method being characterized in that a therapeutically effective amount of a modulator of chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans is administered to said subject.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of treating or preventing a disease characterized by a loss or imbalance of neuronal connections, wherein said disease characterized by a loss or imbalance of neuronal connections is selected from a group of diseases consisting of age-related loss of neuronal performance and/or connections, psychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative diseases characterized by loss of neuronal connections, learning deficiency, and senile dementia, of modulating neuronal activity and/or neuronal plasticity, of optimizing repair after brain injury, to modulate learning, and/or to modulate cognitive capabilities, in a subject and/or, of preventing loss of neuronal connections and/or to increase neuronal connections in said subject, by modulating Wnt-signaling, which method is characterized by the fact that the subject is in puberty or post-puberty, wherein puberty or post-puberty means that the neuronal circuits of said subject have already undergone developmental synapse elimination and cri

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of predicting the imminent degeneration of motoneurons in a subject, said method comprising assessing in at least one motoneuron of said subject the expression of at least one particular gene, wherein an at least two-fold upregulation of the expression of the assessed genes is indicative of the imminent degeneration of motoneurons and/or of the imminent onset of a neurodegenerative disease. Kits therefor are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to methods of effecting axon repair.