[Morphology of dementia of the Alzheimer type]

Senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT) is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system in the over-65 population of the United States and in northern Europe. Clinical features of SDAT are dysfunction of memory, changes in the personality and others. The following report deals with morphological changes in SDAT. First, histological alterations of SDAT like neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques are described together with some experimental work on neurofibrillary changes induced by spindel inhibitors and aluminum. Second, the role of the cholinergic system deficiency in SDAT is discussed concerning the selective loss of cholinergic neurons and the cholinergic innervation of neuritic plaques.