Neurosurgery Blog: Alzheimer’s disease: The role for neurosurgery

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Alzheimer’s disease: The role for neurosurgery – SNI 2014

Alzheimer's disease: The role for neurosurgery – SNI 2014

Neurosurgery Blog

Alzheimer's disease: The role for neurosurgery

Julio Leonardo Barbosa Pereira1, Angela Downes1, Alessandra Gorgulho2, Vishal Patel1, Dennis Malkasian1, Antonio De Salles2
1 Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA,
2 HCor Neuroscience,São Paulo, Brazil,
Abstract
Dementia, most commonly caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD), affects approximately 35 million people worldwide, with the incidence expected to increase as the population ages. After decades of investigation, AD is now understood to be a complex disease that affects behavior and cognition through several mechanisms: Disrupted neuronal communication, abnormal regional tissue metabolism, and impaired cellular repair. Existing therapies have demonstrated limited efficacy, which has spurred the search for specific disease markers and predictors as well as innovative therapeutic options. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the memory circuits is one such option, with early studies suggesting that modulation of neural activity in these networks may improve cognitive function. Encapsulated cell biodelivery (ECB) is a device that delivers nerve growth factor to the cholinergic basal forebrain to potentially improve cognitive decline in AD patients. This review discusses the pathogenesis of AD, novel neuroimaging and biochemical markers, and the emerging role for neurosurgical applications such as DBS and ECB.

Keywords: Alzheimer′s disease, deep brain stimulation, dementia, encapsulated cell biodelivery, limbic circuit, neurosurgery, stereotactic surgery

How to cite this article:
Pereira JB, Downes A, Gorgulho A, Patel V, Malkasian D, De Salles A. Alzheimer's disease: The role for neurosurgery . Surg Neurol Int 2014;5, Suppl S8:385-90

How to cite this URL:
Pereira JB, Downes A, Gorgulho A, Patel V, Malkasian D, De Salles A. Alzheimer's disease: The role for neurosurgery . Surg Neurol Int [serial online] 2014 [cited 2014 Sep 6];5:385-90. Available from: http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com/text.asp?2014/5/9/385/140191

The post Alzheimer's disease: The role for neurosurgery – SNI 2014 appeared first on NEUROSURGERY BLOG.

Original Article: http://neurocirurgiabr.com/alzheimers-disease-the-role-for-neurosurgery-sni-2014/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=alzheimers-disease-the-role-for-neurosurgery-sni-2014