Current Alzheimer Research - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2005

Hyperphosphorylation and accumulation of tau in neurons (and glial cells) is one the main pathologic hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies, including Pick's disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, argyrophilic grain disease and familial frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 due to mutations in the tau gene (FTDP-17-tau). Hyperphosphoryl Read More

A conspicuous feature shared by Alzheimer's disease as well as a variety of highly prevalent, clinically unrelated neurodegenerative disorders is the occurrence of protein aggregates both intra- and extracellularly. Most of these conditions are characterized at autopsy by the presence of such deposits, typically of fibrillar structure and accompanying extensive neuronal cell loss, displaying a selective brain distribution. The recen Read More

The primary function of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is to maintain fluid homeostasis and regulate blood pressure. Several components of the RAS, namely angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme, angiotensin II and their receptors, are found in the CNS suggesting the possibility of a localized RAS in the brain. Cognitively disabling neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia sho Read More

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with aggregation of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) and cell death in the brain. Using various models, such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the mouse Mus musculus, investigators have attempted to imitate the pathology process of AD for better understanding of the cellular mechanisms and for possible therapeutic intervention. Among man Read More

As the spectrum of therapeutic options broadens, the possibility of an early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), or even isolation of a group at high risk of subsequent cognitive decline, is focusing widespread attention. Therefore, biological markers or risk factors of AD are highly desirable. In this work, we give an overview of the most extensively studied AD biomarkers, namely beta-amyloid, tau protein, and phos Read More

Lipids have many important yet distinct functions in cellular homeostasis such as forming an impermeable barrier separating intracellular and extracellular compartments, providing a matrix for the appropriate interactions of membrane-associated proteins, and serving as storage reservoirs for biologically active second messengers. Alterations in cellular lipids may therefore result in abnormal cellular functions. Thi Read More

It has long been recognised that Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients present an irreversible decline of cognitive functions as consequence of cell deterioration in the forebrain cholinergic projection system (FCPS), particularly, in a structure called nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM). The reduction of the number of cholinergic cells in the FCPS disrupts not just its functions and direct connexions but also the modulation of o Read More

Due to an oversight, the figure caption on the Contents page of Current Alzheimer Research, Volume 1, Number 4 was wrongly published. The corrected caption is reproduced as follows: The figure shown on the front cover of this journal was taken from the article entitled Amyloid b-Peptide: The Inside Story (pp. 231-239) by Bertrand P. Tseng, Masashi Kitazawa and Frank M. LaFerla. The slide shows a proposed model Read More