Metallomics Applied to the Study of Neurodegenerative and Mental Diseases

Biochemical imbalances, provoked by aging or a secondary illness, might directly affect the brain, causing severe problems, such as loss of memory or alteration of behavior patterns. Brain disorders are usually classified as injuries (such as stroke, hematomas, and concussions), tumors, and neurodegenerative (such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases) and mental (such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) diseases. As the pathophysiology of these illnesses is not completely established and multiple factors are involved, metallomics, a bioanalytical strategy that allows the detection of metal ions and metalloproteins in diverse biological matrices, is of extreme relevance in identifying which elements are affected by a disease and/or treatment. Thus, determining which element ions suffer disturbances in their homeostasis during the disease progress is relevant to understand the biochemical changes and propose new drug targets. In addition, it is well known that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of pathological neurodegenerative and mental diseases, which may be caused by metal ion dyshomeostasis, so it is also important to understand endogenous antioxidant metalloprotein and metalloenzyme mechanisms in this regard. In this context, recent applications of metallomics in the study of neurodegenerative and mental disorders are discussed in this chapter, as well as future trends in this research area.