The Development of Amyloid 
Protein Deposits in the Aged Brain
Dietmar R. Thal,
Estibaliz Capetillo-Zarate,
Kelly Del Tredici, and
Heiko Braak
The authors are at the Department of Neuropathology, University of Bonn, D-53105 Bonn, Germany (D.R.T. and E.C.-Z.) and at the Institute for Clinical Neuroanatomy, J. W. Goethe University, D-60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (K.D.T. and H.B.). E-mail: Dietmar.Thal{at}uni-bonn.de (D.R.T.)
http://sageke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/6/re1
Key Words: senile plaques • amyloid 
protein • Alzheimer's disease • tau
Abstract:
The deposition of amyloid protein (A) in the human brain and the generation of neurofibrillary tangles are the histopathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Accumulation of A takes place in senile plaques and in cerebrovascular deposits as a result of an imbalance between A production and clearance. This Review describes the different types of A deposits, which can be distinguished by their morphology and by the hierarchical involvement of distinct areas of the brain in A deposition. The role of intracellular A in A deposition and the mechanism of A toxicity are also discussed.
Citation: D. R. Thal, E. Capetillo-Zarate, K. Del Tredici, H. Braak, The Development of Amyloid Protein Deposits in the Aged Brain. Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ. 2006 (6), re1 (2006).
