Alzheimer's disease - selective neuropathology

Professor Kenneth Kosik discusses the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease, which affects the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortical areas. Areas, such as the cerebellum, are unaffected.

One of the most interesting questions in the area of all neurodegenerative illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, is why in these illnesses are certain types of neurons affected and others are not affected? In Alzheimer’s disease, we know that areas such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, and certain areas of the cortex are severely affected but other neurons that have very similar types of structures - axons, dendrites, such as those in the cerebellum are not affected at all. We see this theme again and again in neurodegeneration. For instance, the substantia nigra is affected in Parkinson’s disease, the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord are affected in ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. So neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, have very interesting and specific topographies that we still have a lot to learn about.