title: Alzheimer's disease: current status of etiopathogenesis and therapeutic strategies.
abstract: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is one of the most common age-related neurodegenerative diseases. It is the most prevalent form of dementia, a general term for memory loss. It is characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction, various behavioral and neuro-psychiatric disturbances that seriously interfere with daily life. Scientists have identified factors that appear to play a role in the development of AD but no definitive causes have been found for this complex disorder. The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is highly complex. While several pathologies characterize this disease, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are hallmark neuropathological lesions in AD brain. Current AD therapies are merely palliative and only temporarily slow cognitive decline and treatments that address the underlying pathologic mechanisms of AD are still lacking. In this review, we focus on the current aspects of AD ranging from the key risk factors for AD, the underlying pathogenic events and the novel medications including disease-modifying properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, German University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mervat Ibrahim
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Khairallah
authors.forename: Lobna Abdel Aal
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kassem
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D008670:Metals / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008670:Metals; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D016875:tau Proteins; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases