title: Accelerated ageing or selective neuronal loss as an important cause of dementia?
abstract: Extensive biochemical analysis of whole temporal lobe from cases of dementia and controls suggests that Alzheimer's disease is a primary degenerative nerve-cell disorder and not the result of accelerated ageing. There is selective loss of neocortical cholinergic neurones. Transmitter systems apart from the cholinergic system appears to be affected, but to a lesser extent, and there are no significant changes in the caudate nucleus. The change in cholinergic neurones has been confirmed in biopsy samples.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000172:deficiency; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005634:Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase / Q000172:deficiency; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000172:deficiency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D010732:Phosphofructokinase-1 / Q000172:deficiency; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D012701:Serotonin / Q000172:deficiency; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D010732:Phosphofructokinase-1; D005634:Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase