چكيده لاتين :
Alzheimerיs disease (AD) is a uniquely human disorder. Although the pathogenesis of AD
is not fully understood, growing evidence indicates that the deposition of beta-amyloid (A~) and the
local reactions of various cell types to this protein play major roles in the developn1ent of the disease. In
the present study transgenic mice expressing mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been used.
These mice exhibit selective neuronal death in the brain regions that are most affected in AD,
suggesting that amyloid plaque fonnation is directly involved in AD neurons loss. Brains from 12
transgenic anin1als and 12 age-matched non transgenic littennate controls (1 and 2 years old) were
examined histopathologically. One year old transgenic animals (n=6) exhibit deposits of human A~ in
the hippocampus, corpus callosun1 and cerebral cortex. By 2 years of age, a great number of diffuse and
mature plaques were present in the cortex and hippocampus, and subcortical regions like thalamus and
striatum. Another major finding was reduction of cholinergic cells in the medial septum, striatum and
diagonal band of Broca. The present data are consistent with the hypothesis that the neuropathology
begins in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus before spreading in a retrograde fashion to subcortical
regions
