The past, present and future of Alzheimer's disease – part 1: the past

 

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Abstract

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) was described in 1907, and since then it changed from a relatively rare condition to one of the most prevalent diseases.

Objective To describe the evolution of the notions of dementias and AD, and to investigate the reasons for the increase in scientific interest in AD.

Methods A historical analysis was carried out on knowledge about dementia, the site of mental activity, the relationships between brain diseases and mental activity, and on the advances in research about AD, since its discovery until the publication of the amyloid cascade hypothesis in 1992. A search was carried out in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) for scientific articles that included the terms dementia or AD over 50 years, from 1972 to 2021.

Results The scientific research on AD increased from 615 papers with the term AD in the first decade (1972-1981), to 100,028 papers in the last decade (2012-2021): an increase of 162.6 times whereas publications with the term dementia increased 28.6 times in the same period. In the 1960s and 1970s, a consensus was reached that AD is responsible for the majority of cases of dementia previously known as senile dementia. In the 1980s, beta-amyloid peptide was identified in the core of the senile plaque, hyperphosphorylated tau protein was found in neurofibrillary tangles, and a mutation was discovered in a hereditary form of AD.

Conclusion The expansion of the concept of AD to include senile dementia, and the discoveries that occurred in the 1980s greatly expanded research in AD.

Resumo

Antecedentes A doença de Alzheimer (DA) foi descrita em 1907 e, desde então, deixou de ser relativamente rara para se tornar uma das doenças mais prevalentes.

Objetivo Descrever a evolução das noções sobre demências e DA e investigar as razões do aumento do interesse científico pela DA.

Métodos Foi realizada uma análise histórica dos conhecimentos sobre demência, o local da atividade mental, as relações entre doenças cerebrais e a atividade mental, e sobre os avanços na pesquisa sobre a DA, desde a sua descoberta até a publicação da hipótese da cascata amiloide em 1992. Foi realizada uma busca na Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina dos Estados Unidos da América (PubMed) por artigos científicos que incluíssem os termos demência ou DA nos 50 anos, de 1972 a 2021.

Resultados A pesquisa científica sobre DA aumentou de 615 artigos com o termo doença de Alzheimer na primeira década (1972-1981), para 100.028 artigos na última década (2012-2021): um aumento de 162,6 vezes enquanto as publicações com o termo demência aumentaram 28,6 vezes no mesmo período. Nas décadas de 1960 e 1970, chegou-se a um consenso de que a DA é responsável pela maioria dos casos de demência, anteriormente conhecida como demência senil. Na década de 1980, o peptídeo beta-amiloide foi identificado no núcleo da placa senil, a proteína tau hiperfosforilada foi encontrada em emaranhados neurofibrilares e uma mutação foi descoberta em uma forma hereditária de DA.

Conclusão A expansão do conceito de DA para incluir a demência senil e as descobertas ocorridas na década de 1980 ampliaram enormemente a pesquisa em DA.

Publication History

Received: 10 October 2023

Accepted: 21 November 2023

Article published online:
29 December 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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