The fundamental relationship between the neuropathological lesions of Alzheimer's disease and the problem of what underlies the clinical syndrome has remained unsolved since the beginning of the century. Are neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques directly related to clinical symptoms, or are they epiphenomena that signal synaptic and neuronal loss? In the last decade, these questions have been revisited through systematic studies of individuals with various degrees of dementia using newer immunohistochemical techniques and quantitative approaches to neuropathological study. It is now possible to have a uniform picture of Alzheimer's disease dementia as resulting from collapse of specific neural systems, as pathological changes selectively and specifically involve structures related to memory and higher cognitive functions.This book contains the proceedings of a meeting organized by the Fondation Ipsen which brought together researchers in neuropathology, molecular biology, genetics, neuropsychology, brain imagery and clinical neurology. .

Inhalt

Aspects of Cortical Destruction in Alzheimer's Disease.- Cortical Feedforward and Cortical Feedback Neural System in Alzheimer's Disease.- Plaques and Tangles: Where and When?.- Cortical Mapping of Pathological Tau Proteins in Several Neurodegenerative Disorders.- Neurofibrillary Tangles are Associated with the Differential Loss of Message Expression for Synaptic Proteins in Alzheimer's Disease.- Morphologic and Neurochemical Characteristics of Corticocortical Projections: Emergence of Circuit-Specific Features and Relationships to Degenerative Changes in Alzheimer's Disease.- Reduced Neuronal Activity is one of the Major Hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease.- Neurodegenerative Alzheimer - Like Pathology in PDAPP 717V ?F Transgenic Mice.- Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Disconnection in Alzheimer's Disease.- Is Alzheimer's Disease Accelerated Aging? Different Patterns of Age and Alzheimer's Disease Related Neuronal Losses in the Hippocampus.- Connections and Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease.- Distributed Hierarchical Neural Systems for Visual Memory in Human Cortex.- Brain and Language.