The Aging Brain Physiological and Pathophysiological Aspects

Infirmity, that decays the wise, doth ever make the better fool William.Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 1,5 Since antiquity, it has been a dream of mankind to live in eternal youth and thus to attain longevity. Gods and heroes of the myths of many European cultures were always repre­ sented as young. Their youth was one of their most remark­ able attributes, and eternal youth given to a human being from a god was the greatest act of grace. This age old dream of mankind is demonstrated very graphically in one of the most impressive paintings of the Middle Ages, the famous "Jungbrunnen" (Fountain of Youth) by Lucas Cranach. During recent decades, progress in medical and social areas has increased life expectancy at least in the highly developed countries. Although this longevity does not mean eternal youth, it obviously fulfills the ancient desire of mankind. However, to live longer and longer and thus to become older and older also means to live in infirmity over a longer period of life. Ifprogress in medical science continues at the present rate, longevity will as seems inevitable, increase further. At least at this stage, problems of aging might become as important as problems of development.

Morphology.- Pathogenesis of Neuritic (Senile) and Amyloid Plaque Formation.- Alzheimer Neurofibrillary Tangle: Morphology and Biochemistry.- Immunological and Silver Staining Characteristics of Neurofibrillary Tangles of Alzheimer Type.- Immunocytochemical Studies on Neurofibrillary Changes.- Cerebral Atrophy in Parkinson Syndrome.- Plasticity of the Aging Cerebral Cortex.- Histone-DNA-lnteractions in Neuronal Chromatin During Aging.- Proliferation of Different Cell Types in the Brain of Senile Mice-Autoradiographic Studies with 3H and 14C- Thymidine.- Chromosome Aneuploidy in Alzheimer’s Disease.- (Patho)Physiologyand Neurochemistry.- Intercellular Matrix Molecules in the Ageing Brain.- Age-Related Changes in Local Glucose Utilization in the Brain.- Brain Metabolism and Blood Flow During Development and Aging of the Fischer-344 Rat.- Glucose and Energy Metabolism of Rat Cerebral Cortex During Aging.- Neurochemical Investigations of Aged Human Brain Cortex.- Proteinand Water Contentsof Aging Brain.- Neuroimmunology and the Aging Brain.- Neurochemistry of Alzheimer’s Disease: An Update.- Neurotransmitter and Carbohydrate Metabolism During Senescence.- Neurotransmitter and Neuropeptide Systems in Alzheimer-Type Dementia.- Study on Some Compensatory Responses of Dopaminergic System in Aging Rats.- Neurotransmitters of the Cerebral Cortex in Senile Dementiaof Alzheimer Type.- Morphological and Biochemical Changes in the Aging Brain: Pathophysiological and Possible Therapeutic Consequences.- Old Age Alters Density of Myelin Isolated from Human Brain.- Clinical Aspects.- Cerebral Energy Relationships in Dementia: A Prospective Study with Positron Emission Tomography.- Measurement of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow, Oxygen Extraction Ratio and Oxygen Utilisation in Stroke Patients Using Positron Emission Tomography.- Regional Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Aging and Senile Dementia as Determined by 18F-Deoxyglucose and Positron Emission Tomography.- Cerebro-Spinal Fluid Dynamics in Dementia.- Vascular-(Multi-lnfarct-)Dementia Versus Primarily Degenerative (Alzheimer’s) Dementia: A Study of rCBF and Computed Tomography (CT).- Relationship Between EEG and Cerebral Blood Flow in Normal Brain.- Age and the Rate of Preparation for Signals and for Responses.- Clinical and Pathological Aspects of Chronic Organic Brain Syndrome.- Organic Psychiatric Disease in Young Adults and Aged Patients.- A Clinical Approach to Vascular (Multiinfarct) Dementia.- Clinically Reversible Focal Cerebral Ischemia and Subclinical Permanent Damage: Neuropsychological and Tomodensitometric Evidence.- Dementia: Biometrical Indicators of State?.- Computertomography and Vascular (Multiinfarct) Dementia: A Qualitative and Quantitative Investigation.- Subcortical Arteriosclerotic Encephalopathy (Binswanger’s Disease).