Author/Editor		Praprotnik, D
Title		Alzheimerjeva bolezen - uganka staranja
Translated title		Alzheimer's disease - an enigma of old age
Type		članek
Source		Med Razgl
Vol. and No.		Letnik 34, št. 2
Publication year		1995
Volume		str. 211-23
Language		slo
Abstract		In recent years there has been a growing interest in Alzheimer's disease around the world. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly population. The research of this disease began in the beginning of the century, but its etiopathogenesis hasn't been resolved yet. Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease and an amyloidosis. The pathologic hallmark of the disease is the presence of numerous characteristic but nonspecific lesions, senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in various areas of the brain cortex. Neurofibrillary tangles are a part of socalled "neurofibrillary pathology", which means the appearance of abnormal filaments (paired helical filaments and straight filaments) in the neuronal cells. These abnormal filaments are not only found in the perikarya of neuronal cells but also in the dystrophic neurites in senile plaques and in the fragmented fibers in the neuropile. The other characteristic of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of a special type of amyloid - amyloid beta in the center of the senile plaques. The pathogenesis of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease is still under investigation. There is no effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease. In the newest studies the effectiveness of various neurotropic growth factors has been tested. The results of some experiments are quite promising.
Descriptors		ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES NEUROFILAMENT PROTEINS AMYLOID BETA-PROTEIN AGED