Mechanisms of Neuron Loss in Alzheimer’s Disease

One of the main elements in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease consists of larger decreases in the numbers of neurons in various parts of the brain than seen in normal ageing. The relevance of studying the pathogenesis of this process arises from the fact that neuron loss starts at the early, preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, when amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (the main morphological signs of the disease) have still not formed; neuron loss correlates with the extent of clinical signs of the disease. Data have now accumulated on the likely pathogenetic mechanisms of neuron loss. The aim of the present literature review was to summarize these data. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York.