Method of preventing, treating and diagnosing disorders of protein aggregation

A method of treating or preventing in a subject a condition of the central or peripheral nervous system or systemic organ associated with a disorder in protein folding or aggregation, or amyloid formation, deposition, accumulation, or persistence comprising administering to said subject a pharmaceutically effective amount of a compound having the following structure:

• wherein each of R1, R1′, R2, R2′, R3, R3′, R4, R4′, R5, R5′, R6, and R6′, is independently selected from the group of:
• (a) hydrogen atom;
• (b) NHR7, wherein said R7 is selected from the group of hydrogen;
• C2-C10 acyl and C1-C10 alkyl;
• (c) NR8R9, wherein said R8 is C2-C10 acyl or C1-C10 alkyl and said R9 is C2-C10 acyl or C1-C10 alkyl;
• (d) OR10, wherein said R10 is selected from the group of no group, hydrogen, C2-C10 acyl, C1-C10 alkyl and SO3H;
• (e) C5-C7 glycosyl;
• (f) C3-C8 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group of hydrogen, OH, NH2, SH, OSO3H and OPO3H2;
• (g) SR11, wherein R11 is selected from the group of hydrogen, C1-C10 alkyl and O3H;
• (h) C1-C10 alkyl optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group of hydrogen, OR10, NHR7, NR8R9 and SR11;
• and
• (i) C3-C8 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group of hydrogen, OR10, NHR7, NR8, R9 and SR11,
• providing that the compound is not myo-inositol.