Commentary on 'a roadmap for the prevention of dementia II: Leon Thal Symposium 2008.' Comments from abroad.

摘要

It is imperative to change public and governmental views of the expanding dementia epidemic by stressing the urgency of action, but at the same time by also providing a strategy to show that the prospects are good to find a solution, provided the right path is followed. We have to demonstrate that the developments so far are not trivial, and that a lot has been achieved. The fight against cancer is a valuable example, where the gains have been used to convince authorities that the prospects for even greater achievements are within reach. In a similar vein, we can and should demonstrate the great advances during the last 20 years in the understanding of the mechanisms leading to brain failure on the molecular, cellular, and system levels, as well as the therapeutic achievements.