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Abstract

Alzheimerâ�?�?s disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder of the brain. AD is the most common type of dementia. The major histopathological features of AD are neuritic (or â�?�?senileâ�?�?) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and a loss of neurons and synapses. The degeneration of cholinergic neuronal systems, in particular those projecting from the basal forebrain to the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, is a consistent feature in the neuropathology of AD. These systems play an intrinsic role in learning and memory processes and the degree of cholinergic degeneration has been shown to correlate with the loss of cognitive function. Memory deficit is not a unitary phenomenon in AD. Up to 90% of patients with dementia develop significant behavioral problems during the course of their illness. Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms as delusions, hallucinations or agitation develop in as many as 60% of community-dwelling dementia patients. The term â�?�?behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementiaâ�? (BPSD) has been proposed to describe the spectrum of non-cognitive manifestations of dementia. Antipsychotics are frequently added to anti-Alzheimerâ�?�?s therapy to control BPSD, Haloperidol and risperidone are typical and atypical antipsychotics, respectively. Here we are interested in studying the behavioral effects of these antipsychotic agents in rats with AD disease, and their influence during treatment of these rats with memantine, a NMDA receptor blocker used in management of AD.

Biography

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