Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, has shown significant neuroprotective effects in various neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's Disease (PD), Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Huntington's Disease (HD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and prion disease. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancerous, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, antiproliferative, and antibacterial properties. However, its clinical application is limited by low water solubility, poor stability in the blood, high metabolism rate, limited bioavailability, and difficulty in crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To overcome these limitations, various nanocarriers such as liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, cubosome nanoparticles, polymer nanoparticles, and solid lipid nanoparticles have been developed to enhance curcumin delivery to brain cells. Functionalization of nanoparticles with brain-specific ligands improves bioavailability and reduces harmful effects. This review summarizes studies on curcumin and/or curcumin-loaded nanoparticles in common neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting curcumin's high neuroprotective potential. Curcumin's ability to modulate signaling pathways such as Nrf2, AKT, and NF-κB contributes to its therapeutic effects. Despite its promising properties, curcumin's therapeutic activity is limited by its low solubility, rapid metabolism, and poor BBB penetration. Encapsulation in nanoparticles enhances solubility, bioavailability, and BBB penetration. Curcumin nanoparticles have shown potential in treating PD, AD, HD, ALS, and prion disease by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuronal damage. For example, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have been effective in crossing the BBB and delivering the drug to treat malignant glioma in the brain. In PD, curcumin nanoparticles have been shown to reduce ROS levels and α-synuclein aggregation. In AD, curcumin nanoparticles have been effective in reducing Aβ plaques and tau phosphorylation. In HD, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have been shown to improve mitochondrial function and reduce oxidative stress. In ALS, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have been used to enhance the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stromal cells. In MS, curcumin nanoparticles have been shown to promote remyelination and reduce inflammation. In prion disease, curcumin has been shown to inhibit prion fibril formation and protect neurons from apoptosis. Despite its potential, curcumin's clinical application is limited by its low solubility and bioavailability. However, the development of curcumin delivery systems using nanoparticles offers a promising solution to enhance its therapeutic efficacy. Overall, curcumin and its nanoparticle formulations show significant potential as neuroprotective agents in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, has shown significant neuroprotective effects in various neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's Disease (PD), Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Huntington's Disease (HD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and prion disease. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancerous, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, antiproliferative, and antibacterial properties. However, its clinical application is limited by low water solubility, poor stability in the blood, high metabolism rate, limited bioavailability, and difficulty in crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To overcome these limitations, various nanocarriers such as liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, cubosome nanoparticles, polymer nanoparticles, and solid lipid nanoparticles have been developed to enhance curcumin delivery to brain cells. Functionalization of nanoparticles with brain-specific ligands improves bioavailability and reduces harmful effects. This review summarizes studies on curcumin and/or curcumin-loaded nanoparticles in common neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting curcumin's high neuroprotective potential. Curcumin's ability to modulate signaling pathways such as Nrf2, AKT, and NF-κB contributes to its therapeutic effects. Despite its promising properties, curcumin's therapeutic activity is limited by its low solubility, rapid metabolism, and poor BBB penetration. Encapsulation in nanoparticles enhances solubility, bioavailability, and BBB penetration. Curcumin nanoparticles have shown potential in treating PD, AD, HD, ALS, and prion disease by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuronal damage. For example, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have been effective in crossing the BBB and delivering the drug to treat malignant glioma in the brain. In PD, curcumin nanoparticles have been shown to reduce ROS levels and α-synuclein aggregation. In AD, curcumin nanoparticles have been effective in reducing Aβ plaques and tau phosphorylation. In HD, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have been shown to improve mitochondrial function and reduce oxidative stress. In ALS, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have been used to enhance the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stromal cells. In MS, curcumin nanoparticles have been shown to promote remyelination and reduce inflammation. In prion disease, curcumin has been shown to inhibit prion fibril formation and protect neurons from apoptosis. Despite its potential, curcumin's clinical application is limited by its low solubility and bioavailability. However, the development of curcumin delivery systems using nanoparticles offers a promising solution to enhance its therapeutic efficacy. Overall, curcumin and its nanoparticle formulations show significant potential as neuroprotective agents in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.