Alzheimer's alert. (Letters).I enjoyed your timely article "Attacking Alzheimer's" (SN: 11/3/01, p. 286). Conspicuously con·spic·u·ous adj. 1. Easy to notice; obvious. 2. Attracting attention, as by being unusual or remarkable; noticeable. See Synonyms at noticeable. absent, however, was any mention of the possibility that the disease is a vascular disorder with neurodegenerative consequences, rather than the other way around. The involvement of several dozen risk factors for Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. that all reduce or impair im·pair tr.v. im·paired, im·pair·ing, im·pairs To cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality: an injury that impaired my hearing; a severe storm impairing communications. cerebral perfusion perfusion /per·fu·sion/ (-zhun) 1. the act of pouring over or through, especially the passage of a fluid through the vessels of a specific organ. 2. a liquid poured over or through an organ or tissue. in the Alzheimer's brain adds ammunition to this alternative explanation to plaques and tangles tangles, n.pl brain lesions that occur between nerve cells. . This is only fair since there has been little or no progress in the area of Alzheimer's disease management and treatment for the past 30 years, due to a great deal of self-investment in a theory that simply does not make sense but somehow continues to find support from the National Institutes of Health, academic institutions, and the private sector. I hope SCIENCE NEWS continues its coverage of Alzheimer's research by occasionally presenting more controversial ideas related to this disorder. Jack de la Torre University of California, San Diego Escondido, Calif. |
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