Title |
Alzheimer's disease: synapses gone cold
|
---|---|
Published in |
Molecular Neurodegeneration, August 2011
|
DOI | 10.1186/1750-1326-6-63 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Robert M Koffie, Bradley T Hyman, Tara L Spires-Jones |
Abstract |
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by insidious cognitive decline and memory dysfunction. Synapse loss is the best pathological correlate of cognitive decline in AD and mounting evidence suggests that AD is primarily a disease of synaptic dysfunction. Soluble oligomeric forms of amyloid beta (Aβ), the peptide that aggregates to form senile plaques in the brain of AD patients, have been shown to be toxic to neuronal synapses both in vitro and in vivo. Aβ oligomers inhibit long-term potentiation (LTP) and facilitate long-term depression (LTD), electrophysiological correlates of memory formation. Furthermore, oligomeric Aβ has also been shown to induce synapse loss and cognitive impairment in animals. The molecular underpinnings of these observations are now being elucidated, and may provide clear therapeutic targets for effectively treating the disease. Here, we review recent findings concerning AD pathogenesis with a particular focus on how Aβ impacts synapses. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Canada | 1 | 33% |
Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 3 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Spain | 3 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
United States | 2 | <1% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
Germany | 1 | <1% |
Peru | 1 | <1% |
Portugal | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 362 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 86 | 23% |
Researcher | 51 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 49 | 13% |
Student > Master | 48 | 13% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 19 | 5% |
Other | 54 | 14% |
Unknown | 68 | 18% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 109 | 29% |
Neuroscience | 66 | 18% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 40 | 11% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 38 | 10% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 11 | 3% |
Other | 41 | 11% |
Unknown | 70 | 19% |