About 5.8 million people in the United States are afflictedwith Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias, and withcontinued increase in the aging population it is estimated thatby 2050 this number will rise to nearly 14 million, with anestimated cost of over $2 trillion to health care systems. Thephysical and emotional cost to families and caretakers is notmeasurable. AD remains the sixth leading cause of death in theUnited States, and about one in three senior citizens will die withsome form of dementia. The growing burden ofneurodegenerative diseases on patients, their families, and healthcare providers has also stimulated some exciting newdevelopments in the field. This issue of Laboratory Investigationprovides a broad view of the field of neurodegenerative diseases,with diverse papers focusing on basic research,clinicopathological correlation, and neuropathological diagnosis.
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