Targeting the Vasculature in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Cognitive Impairment | The New York Academy of Sciences

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. For more than 100 years, the presence of "senile plaques" and "neurofibrillary tangles" were considered the primary pathological markers for AD. In the last half-century, a growing amount of evidence to support the role of the vascular system as a major causative or exacerbating factor has forced an expanded definition of the classification of pathology in the AD brain. Because of increases in life expectancy and because of the aging population, the rates of neurovascular abnormalities that could lead to cognitive impairment and dementia are also likely to rise. Therefore, the need to identify effective therapeutic targets that will address these neurovascular complexities is critical. At the Targeting the Vasculature in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Cognitive Impairment symposium, held on May 4, 2012 and presented by the Brain Dysfunction Discussion Group and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, scientists from academia and industry met to share their knowledge on pathogenic mechanisms, vascular outcomes in clinical trials, and drug discovery targets for Alzheimer's disease.