Mushrooms are considered not only as food but also for source of physiologically beneficial medicines. The culinarymedicinal mushrooms may important role in the prevention of age-associated neurological dysfunctions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Hericium erinaceus (H. erinaceus), is edible mushrooms, is a parasitic fungus that grows hanging off of logs and trees and well established candidate for brain and nerve health. H. erinaceus contains high amounts of antioxidants, beta-glucan, polysaccharides and a potent catalyst for brain tissue regeneration and helps to improve memory and cognitive functions. Its fruiting bodies and the fungal mycelia exhibit various pharmacological activities, including the enhancement of the immune system, antitumor, hypoglycemic and anti-aging properties. H. erinaceus stimulates the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) which is the primary protein nutrient responsible for enhancing and repairing neurological disorders. Especially hericenones and erinacines isolated from its fruitin body stimulate NGF, synthesis. This fungus is also utilized to regulate blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol. H. erinaceus can be considered as useful therapeutic agents in the management and/or treatment of neurodegeneration diseases. However, this review focuses on in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials for neurodegerative disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a fatal disorder wherein patients suffer from sensory, motor, and cognitive loss. Currently, the identification and validation of biomarkers for diagnosing AD and other forms of dementia are increasingly important. Olfactory dysfunction is present in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Alzheimer’s patients show neuropathological changes in areas of the brain central to the olfactory processing center, suggesting the theoretical importance and potential diagnostic utility of investigating functional changes in olfaction in these patients. However, the usefulness of olfactory screens to serve as informative indicators of Alzheimer’s is precluded by the lack of knowledge regarding neural and molecular mechanisms underlying olfactory dysfunction onto Alzheimer's diseases. To test these ultimate questions, we used molecular and electrophysiological recording techniques to find out the difference of olfactory responses and AD related protein expression patterns by using fly model, Drosophila melanogaster that over-expresses the human β -amyloid, tau protein. We postulated that such flies would present with progressive olfactory impairments compared with age-matched wild type control flies. In this study, our hypothesis is that there is a correlation between olfactory deficits and the spatial expression pattern of β-amyloid and tau protein deposition. Therefore, we demonstrate a specific concentration of lesions in central olfactory structures such as antenna and Maxillary palps. Our study indicates that deficits on olfactory identification may occur in AD, which will be valuable as an indicator of neuropathogenesis.