Cited by 149Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Neurodegeneration in Normal Brain Aging and Disease

Thal, Dietmar Rudolf, Del Tredici, Kelly, Braak, Heiko·2004·Science of Aging Knowledge Environment

Abstract

Normal "healthy" aging is defined as aging without disease. Many aged people do not exhibit symptoms of disease and lead normal lives, but nonetheless display pathological changes that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and/or cerebrovascular disease (CVD). These changes are restricted to distinct brain regions and might represent preclinical stages of these disorders. This Perspective discusses arguments in favor of and against the hypothesis that pathological changes related to AD, PD, DLB, and CVD in the brains of nondemented elderly people represent early stages of these diseases rather than healthy aging. We conclude that early pathological disease-related changes do indeed constitute the beginning of AD, PD, DLB, and CVD rather than normal concomitants of aging, even in the absence of any clinical symptoms. Aging is, therefore, a major risk factor for these diseases but does not necessarily lead to age-related diseases.

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Crossref · 10.1126/sageke.2004.23.pe26

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55 of 55 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Authors
Thal, D. R., Del Tredici, K., & Braak, H.
Affiliations
  • Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
  • Dietmar R. Thal is in the Department of Neuropathology at the University of Bonn Medical Center, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, D-53105 Bonn, Germany. Kelly Del Tredici and Heiko Braak are at the Institute for Clinical Neuroanatomy at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, D-60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.(D.R.T.)
Venue
Science of Aging Knowledge Environment
Published
2004-06-09
Volume
2004
Issue
23
Pages
pe26-pe26
ISSN
1539-6150 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2116204362
Cited by
149
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
FWCI
1.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Science of Aging Knowledge Environment (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Keywords
neurodegeneration, healthy brain aging, preclinical disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, cerebrovascular disease, aging as risk factor
MeSH terms
Aged, Aging, Alzheimer Disease, Brain, Cerebrovascular Disorders, Humans, Parkinson Disease, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Lewy Body Disease

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