TOWARDS A UNIFYING HYPOTHESIS OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES AND A CONCOMITANT RATIONAL STRATEGY FOR THEIR PROPHYLAXIS AND THERAPY

Many neurodegenerative diseases have been found to present activated microglia, implying that immunologic processes operate which might exacerbate their basic pathologies. We consider 14 such disorders which are known or believed to exhibit these phenomena. Alzheimer's disease, the principal member of this group, has had its progression arrested in clinical trials by an antiinflammatory agent, leading us to suggest the possibility of successful prophylactic and therapeutic intervention at the immunologic level against these diseases with antiinflammatory drugs. It is further suggested that in neurodegenerative disorders of unknown etiology or pathogenesis the possible presence of activated microglia should be investigated. Finally, the possible relevance of these concepts for schizophrenia is examined.