Benjamin Wolozin on Cholesterol modulates the membrane-disordering effects of beta-amyloid peptides in the hippocampus: specific changes in Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT The interaction between cholesterol and AD increasingly appears to be important. 0 bwolozin

Benjamin Wolozin on TGF-beta1 promotes microglial amyloid-beta clearance and reduces plaque burden in transgenic mice.

COMMENT This is a novel mechanism for reducing Ab plaque load. The interaction between Ab and TGFb has been noted earlier, but this paper sheds important new information on the affects of TGFb on Ab. 0 bwolozin

Carl Cotman on Regional HmPAO SPECT and CT measurements in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT Interesting. See however Bonte et al, which reports an 86% sensitivity in autopsy confirmed cases 0 cwcotman Brain blood flow in the dementias: SPECT with histopathologic correlation in 54 patients.

Paul Coleman on An immunohistochemical study of the distribution of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the adult human brain, with particular reference to Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT A descriptive IHC study that concludes 'Brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive material was found in senile plaques, and some immunoreactive cortical pyramidal neurons showed neurofibrillary tangles, suggesting that brain-derived neurotroph

Gerry Fischbach on beta-Amyloid peptide induced cytoskeletal reorganization in cultured astrocytes.

COMMENT This emphasis on astrocyte cytoskeleton is refreshing. So much emphasis has been placed on neuronal degeneration that glia have been overlooked. 0 gf224

Hiroshi Mori on Alzheimer's disease as proteolytic disorders: anabolism and catabolism of beta-amyloid.

COMMENT His aminopeptidase hypothesis is a new one which explains in vivo amyloid deposition. 0 mori

Hiroshi Mori on Protein anatomy: C-tail region of human tau protein as a crucial structural element in Alzheimer's paired helical filament formation in vitro.

COMMENT The detailed analysis on tau is very informative for elucidating in vivo condition of tau in Alzheimer's PHF. 0 mori

Nikolaos K. Robakis on Expression profiles of multiple genes in single neurons of Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT This looks very interesting as it suggests a new methodology for the analysis and detection of abnormalities in neuronal gene expression associated with AD. 0 nikos.robakis

Hiroshi Mori on Modulation of beta-amyloid precursor protein processing by the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP). Evidence that LRP contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT It is very interesting and desiralbe to enhance the present study because cerebral LRP blockade may be a new anti-AD therapy. 0 mori

Hiroshi Mori on Regionally specific neuronal expression of human APOE gene in transgenic mice.

COMMENT This is important because it shows the presence of gene expression of ApoE in neuron as well as glial cells which were supposed to be the sole cell type to produce ApoE. 0 mori

Alison Goate on Initial results of a genome survey for novel Alzheimer's disease risk genes: association with a locus on the X chromosome.

COMMENT Potential new risk factor for AD. 0 goate

Edward Koo on Absence of cognitive impairment or decline in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT What does AD type pathology mean since the patients can be normal? Do we need better preclinical tests? 0 edkoo

John Olney on Neurodegenerative disorders in humans: the role of glutathione in oxidative stress-mediated neuronal death.

COMMENT This is a review article that attempts to link various types of cell death processes to an oxidative stress mechanism and to various neurodegenerative diseases. All of the links described are speculative and this review article does nothing to firm up the

Benjamin Wolozin on Identification of ubiquilin, a novel presenilin interactor that increases presenilin protein accumulation.

COMMENT Important for understanding presenilin function. 0 bwolozin

Hiroshi Mori on The effect of estrogen replacement therapy on cognitive function in women: a critical review of the literature.

COMMENT Any trials to improve cognitive dysfunction of AD must be welcomed even if they are completely denied theoretically or clinically. We certainly need the mass examination of such trials. Estrogen is one of such trials we need to study clinically. 0 mori