Dementia is a major health problem that becomes increasingly common with advancing age. Despite recent progress in neurobiology and molecular genetics, the aetiology and pathogenesis of most dementia disorders are still poorly understood, and early exact diagnosis as a prerequisite of effective treatment needs to be improved. The present volume includes the contributions of renowned experts in the field of neurodegeneration presented at the International Symposium "Ageing and Dementia 1999", September 24-26, 1999 at Graz. It focusses on genetics, epidemiology, new neuroimaging techniques, and the role of vascular, immunological and other mechanisms including oxidative stress and estrogens in the development of neurodegeneration and dementia. Recent developments in diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer disease and related disorders are reviewed and future therapeutic approaches are discussed. Thus, this volume provides a timely overview of most recent developments in dementia research and treatment strategies of dementia disorders.

Inhalt

White matter changes: the clinical consequences in the aging population.- Longitudinal change of white matter abnormalities.- Genetic aspects of microangiopathy-related cerebral damage.- Research criteria for subcortical vascular dementia in clinical trials.- How can cerebral infarcts and hemorrhages lead todementia?.- Vascular aspects in Alzheimer's disease.- Novel imaging technologies in the assessment of cerebral ageing and vascular dementia.- Alzheimer disease and neuroinflammation.- The immunological microenvironment in the CNS: implications on neuronal cell death and survival.- Toxic effector molecules in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated disorders of the central nervous system.- Cytokines in CNS disorders: neurotoxicity versus neuroprotection.- Do neuronal inclusions kill the cell?.- Mechanisms of cell death in neurodegenerative disorders.- Estrogens, apoptosis and cells of neural origin.- Markers of apoptosis and models of programmed cell death in Alzheimer's disease.- Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in aging and neurodegenerative disease.- Genetics of Alzheimer's disease - routes to the pathophysiology.- Secretion of the amyloid precursor protein is elevated isoform specifically by apolipoprotein E4.- Alterations in neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in Alzheimer's disease.- Genetically altered transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease.- Morphological substrates of mental dysfunction in Lewy body disease: an update.- Mechanism of neurofibrillary degeneration and pharmacologic therapeutic approach.- Understanding the role of estrogen on cognition and dementia.- Present and future of Alzheimer therapy.- Trials to slow progression and prevent disease onset.- Epidemiologic clues to the causes and routes to prevention of Alzheimer disease.- Post-transcription modulation of the blood-brain barrier GLUT1 glucose transporter by brain-derived factors.- A brain derived peptide preparation reduces the translation dependent loss of a cytoskeletal protein in primary cultured chicken neurons.- Neurotrophic effects of Cerebrolysin® in animal models of excitotoxicity.- Cerebrolysin® reduces microglial activation in vivo and in vitro: a potential mechanism of neuroprotection.- Clinical experience with Cerebrolysin®.- Approach towards an integrative drug treatment of Alzheimer's disease.- Oral Cerebrolysin® enhances brain alpha activity and improves cognitive performance in elderly control subjects.