Handbook of Psychopharmacology : Volume 20 Psychopharmacology of the Aging Nervous System

"Psychopharmacology of the Aging Nervous System" was selected as the topic for Volume 20 of the Handbook of PsychopharmacoloffY. Senile dementia is now widely recognized as a medical and social problem likely to reach epidemic proportions by the turn of the century. By that time it is esti­ mated that almost 20% of the population in most developed countries will be over the age of 65 and at a conservative estimate 1 in 10 of them will suffer from a dementing illness. Many symposia have appeared over the last few years describing the neuropathological and neurochemical deficiencies in Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, the neuropsychological features of the disease, and attempts to treat it. In this volume, we have selected topics and authors who are beginning to question some of the earlier assumptions and to ask different questions about dementia. In the first four chapters the neuropathology and neu­ rochemistry of dementia are reevaluated. It is important to understand the relationship between the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the progressive degeneration in cortex, and the neurochemical deafferentation of cortex. In particular, the possibility is considered that the most severe pathology is seen in a well-defined limbo/cortical circuitry known to be involved in mnemonic processing. The growing interest in the genetic determinants of familial Alz­ heimer's is reviewed. It is also recognized that detailed comparisons of the neural and psychological characteristics of the various degenerative dis­ eases that impair cognitive processing may be valuable. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Neuropathological and Neurochemical Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease....Pages 1-67 Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons and Alzheimer’s Disease....Pages 69-106 Neurochemical Studies in Dementia....Pages 107-130 Chemical Neuroanatomy of Alzheimer’s Disease....Pages 131-156 Dementia in Parkinson’s Disease....Pages 157-206 Alzheimer’s Disease: Genetic Theories of Etiology....Pages 207-235 The Cholinergic Hypothesis of Memory: A Review of Animal Experiments....Pages 237-323 Behavioral Models of Aging in Nonhuman Primates....Pages 325-392 Cholinergic Drugs and Human Cognitive Performance....Pages 393-424 Treatment of Dementia with Vasoactive Drugs....Pages 425-435 New Pharmacological Perspectives on Nootropic Drugs....Pages 437-469 Back Matter....Pages 471-482