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Neurodegeneration in normal brain aging and disease
Dietmar Rudolf Thal1, Kelly Del Tredici, Heiko Braak
1Department of Neuropathology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, D-53105 Bonn, Germany. Dietmar.Thal@uni-bonn.de
Science of Aging Knowledge Environment : SAGE KE
|June 11, 2004
Summary
Healthy aging does not mean the absence of disease pathology. Early brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) indicate preclinical disease, not normal aging.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Gerontology
- Pathology
Background:
- Normal aging is often defined as aging without disease.
- However, many elderly individuals exhibit brain pathologies characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) without clinical symptoms.
- These localized brain changes may represent preclinical stages of these neurodegenerative disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the hypothesis that pathological changes in the brains of nondemented elderly individuals represent early stages of AD, PD, DLB, and CVD.
- To differentiate between healthy aging and preclinical neurodegenerative disease.
Main Methods:
- Review and discussion of existing scientific arguments.
- Analysis of pathological findings in the brains of aging individuals without diagnosed dementia.
Main Results:
- The study concludes that observed early pathological changes are indeed indicative of the incipient stages of AD, PD, DLB, and CVD.
- These findings occur even in the absence of clinical symptoms, suggesting preclinical disease development.
Conclusions:
- Pathological changes in the aging brain, even without symptoms, signify the beginning of neurodegenerative diseases like AD, PD, and DLB.
- Aging is a significant risk factor for these diseases, but does not invariably result in clinical manifestation of age-related diseases.