Advances on Alzheimer′s Disease With Neuroimaging*

Optical Imaging of Beta-Amyloid Plaques in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial, irreversible, and incurable neurodegenerative disease. The main pathological feature of AD is the deposition of misfolded β-amyloid protein (Aβ) plaques in the brain. The abnormal accumulation of Aβ plaques leads to the loss of some neuron functions, further causing the neuron entanglement and the corresponding functional damage, which has a great impact on memory and cognitive functions. Hence, studying the accumulation mechanism of Aβ in the brain and its effect on other tissues is of great significance for the early diagnosis of AD. The current clinical studies of Aβ accumulation mainly rely on medical imaging techniques, which have some deficiencies in sensitivity and specificity. Optical imaging has recently become a research hotspot in the medical field and clinical applications, manifesting noninvasiveness, high sensitivity, absence of ionizing radiation, high contrast, and spatial resolution. Moreover, it is now emerging as a promising tool for the diagnosis and study of Aβ buildup. This review focuses on the application of the optical imaging technique for the determination of Aβ plaques in AD research. In addition, recent advances and key operational applications are discussed.

Dementia in China: epidemiology, clinical management, and research advances

China has the largest population of patients with dementia in the world, imposing a heavy burden on the public and health care systems. More than 100 epidemiological studies on dementia have been done in China, but the estimates of the prevalence and incidence remain inconsistent because of the use of different sampling methods. Despite improved access to health services, inadequate diagnosis and management for dementia is still common, particularly in rural areas. The Chinese Government issued a new policy to increase care facilities for citizens older than 65 years, but most patients with dementia still receive care at home. Western medicines for dementia symptoms are widely used in China, but many patients choose Chinese medicines even though they have little evidence supporting efficacy. The number of clinical trials of Chinese and western medicines has substantially increased as a result of progress in research on new antidementia drugs but international multicentre studies are few in number. Efforts are needed to establish a national system of dementia care enhance training in dementia for health professionals, and develop global collaborations to prevent and cure this disease.