Advances in Dementia and Alzheimer’s Research
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences examines innovative therapies for dementia and the latest theories on Alzheimer’s Disease.
Published December 1, 2000
By Jennifer Tang
The identification of similarities and differences among such forms of dementia as Alzheimer’s Disease, Lewy body diseases, and prion diseases may suggest specific treatment approaches, according to studies published by The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy).
Tremendous progress has been made in the last 20 years in identifying factors that are associated with the causes and development of dementia. Technological achievements in molecular biology, for example, have enabled researchers to construct useful models of the abnormal tissue changes found in the brains of demented people, which can be used to validate the effectiveness of proposed treatments. Such work has contributed to drug development programs for Alzheimer’s disease today at many small biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies.
Exploring Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
The latest therapies and theories on dementia are extensively examined in two new volumes of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: The Molecular Basis of Dementia, volume 920, edited by John H. Growdon, Richard J. Wurtman, Suzanne Corkin and Roger M. Nitsch, sheds light on the potential causes and pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body diseases, and frontotemporal dementias.
Drawn from the ninth meeting of the International Study Group on the Pharmacology of Memory Disorders Associated with Aging (ISG) that was held in Zurich, Switzerland, the volume contains more than 40 papers and poster abstracts including research reports on transgenic mouse models of alpha-synuclein, tau, and amyloid accumulation in the brain.
Five major topics are considered:
- a-Synuclein in neurodegenerative disease
- novel mutations in dementia
- transgenic and knockout approaches to neurodegenerative diseases
- proteases in Alzheimer’s Disease
- therapies beyond AchEinhibitors
A Comprehensive Source of Information
Alzheimer’s Disease: A Compendium of Current Theories, volume 920 was edited by Zaven S. Khachaturian and M.- Marsel Mesulam. It provides a comprehensive single source of information on the current status of the major theories on Alzheimer’s disease. According to the editors, the goal of this volume is to create an impetus for integrating the discrepancies among the many different theoretical perspectives that have emerged on Alzheimer’s.
More than 20 papers, each presenting a unique theoretical perspective by various contributors, are classified under three functionally unifying theme headings: (1) structural changes (2) functional changes (3) Energetics. Topics include: Genetic Factors in the Genesis of Alzheimer’s Disease; The Role of Synaptic Proteins in Alzheimer’s Disease; The Effects of Cholesterol on Membrane Receptor Trafficking; The Brain’s Microenvironment, Early Functional Loss, and the Conversion to Alzheimer’s Disease; and Existing Data Suggest Alzheimer’s Disease is Preventable.
Full access to the archive of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences is one perk of being an Academy member. Not a member? Sign up today!
