Alzheimer's disease is associated with a specific pattern of pathological changes in the brain that result in neurodegeneration and the progressive development of dementia. Pathological hallmarks common to the disease include β-amyloid plaques, dystrophic neurites associated with plaques and neurofibrillary tangles within nerve cell bodies. The exact relationship between these pathological features has been elusive, although it is clear that β-amyloid plaques precede neurofibrillary tangles in neocortical areas. Examination of the brains of individuals in the preclinical stage of the disease have shown that the earliest form of neuronal pathology associated with β-amyloid plaques resembles the cellular changes that follow structural injury to axons. Thus, the development of β-amyloid plaques in the brain may cause physical damage to axons, and the abnormally prolonged stimulation of the neuronal response to this kind of injury ultimately results in the profound cytoskeletal alterations that underlie neurofibrillary pathology and neurodegeneration. Therapeutically, inhibition of the neuronal reaction to physical trauma may be a useful neuroprotective strategy in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:	Neurosciences
Research Field:	Neurosciences not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Vickers, JC (Professor James Vickers)
UTAS Author:	Dickson, TC (Professor Tracey Dickson)
UTAS Author:	Adlard, PA (Dr Paul Anthony Adlard)
UTAS Author:	Saunders, HL (Ms Helen Louise Saunders)
UTAS Author:	King, CE (Dr Carolyn King)
UTAS Author:	McCormack, GH (Mr Graeme McCormack)
ID Code:	20349
Year Published:	2000
Web of Science® Times Cited:	193
Deposited By:	Pathology
Deposited On:	2000-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-11-25
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