Factors associated with resistance to dementia despite high Alzheimer disease pathology.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Autopsy series have shown that some elderly people remain with normal cognitive function during life despite having high burdens of pathologic lesions associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) at death. Understanding why these individuals show no cognitive decline, despite high AD pathologic burdens, may be key to discovery of neuroprotective mechanisms.

Methods

A total of 36 subjects who on autopsy had Braak stage V or VI and moderate or frequent neuritic plaque scores based on Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) standards were included. Twelve had normal cognitive function and 24 a diagnosis of AD before death. Demographic characteristics, clinical and pathologic data, as well as antemortem brain volumes were compared between the grou

SUBMITTER: Erten-Lyons D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2677499 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature