title: Neuropathology and treatment of Alzheimer disease: did we lose the forest for the trees?
abstract: Although amyloid-beta-containing senile plaques and phospho-tau containing neurofibrillary tangles are hallmark lesions of Alzheimer disease (AD), neither is specific for AD, nor even a marker of AD. Rather, they are empirical lesions that require close correlation with age and clinical signs for optimal interpretation. In essence, these lesions represent the effect rather than the cause of disease. In this review, we discuss diagnostic criteria for AD, the relationship between pathology, pathogenesis and multiple treatment approaches that have so far been disappointing, including those that presume to address pathological lesions. An acceptance that lesion-based therapies do not address etiology or rate-limiting pathogenic factors is probably necessary for the best chance of significant advances that have thus far been elusive.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Department of Pathology, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. rcastellani@som.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Rudy J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Castellani
authors.forename: Xiongwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hyoung-gon
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paula I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010336:Pathology / Q000379:methods*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D006728:Hormones; D016875:tau Proteins