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Preface
Author(s) -
Growdon John H.,
Wurtman Richard J.,
Corkin Suzanne,
Nitsch Roger M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06897.x
Subject(s) - citation , annals , library science , classics , computer science , history
This volume contains the papers and poster abstracts from the ninth meeting of the International Study Group on the Pharmacology of Memory Disorders Associated with Aging (ISG), which took place in Zurich, Switzerland, on February 18–20, 2000. The ISG was founded 21 years ago in the belief that the development of effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias would be accelerated by periodic meetings of scientists and physicians from academia and industry from around the world who are actively working on issues related to dementia. Since the last ISG meeting in 1995, tremendous progress has been made in identifying factors that are associated with the etiology and the pathogenesis of dementia. Further, many small biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies now have drug development programs for Alzheimer’s disease. These efforts have led to the approval by the Food and Drug Administration of the first drugs for the treatment of dementia and to their subsequent wide availability. Recent discoveries include information on dementias other than Alzheimer’s disease, for example, Lewy body and prion diseases, and the frontotemporal dementia associated with chromosome 17. The identification of similarities and distinctive differences among these forms of dementia may suggest specific approaches for the treatment of these diseases. In parallel, technological achievements in molecular biology have made it possible to mimic, in genetically modified animals, some of the histopathological abnormalities found in the brains of demented people. These models make it possible to study the neurobiology and pathophysiology of genes and proteins associated with dementia. They also provide useful experimental systems for validating proposed treatments designed to slow—or stop—neurodegeneration associated with dementia. The overriding goal of the ISG has always been to highlight discoveries that shed light on the causes and biological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and to encourage the translation of such discoveries into effective treatments. The proceedings of the ninth meeting of the ISG continue this tradition and consider five major topics: