“Normal” and Pathological Changes with Age in the Brain

摘要

Classical studies attempting to describechanges in the aging brain, such as corticalatrophy and reduction of neuronalnumber, may be inaccurate due to inclusionof brains with preclinical or earlychanges of neurodegenerative diseasessuch as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). ADpathologic changes, neuritic plaques andneurofibrillary tangles, are frequently seenin brains over 60 years of age, particularlyin the most vulnerable areas, such as hippocampusand entorhinal cortex. If thesechanges represent preclinical AD, as opposedto the normal physiology of aging,then this will have a significant impact inthe analysis and interpretation of earlierliterature on aging.1