Stress in the brain: novel cellular mechanisms of injury linked to Alzheimer's disease

More than a century has elapsed since the description of Alois Alzheimer's patient Auguste D. Yet, the well-documented generation of beta-amyloid aggregates and neurofibrillary tangles that define Alzheimer's disease is believed to represent only a portion of the cellular processes that can determine the course of Alzheimer's disease. Understanding of the complex nature of this disorder has evolved with an increased appreciation for pathways that involve the generation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, apoptotic injury that leads to nuclear degradation in both neuronal and vascular populations, and the early loss of cellular membrane asymmetry that mitigates inflammation and vascular occlusion. Recent work has identified novel pathways, such as the Wnt pathway and the serine-threonine kinase Akt, as central modulators that oversee cellular apoptosis and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles through their downstream substrates that include glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, Bad, and Bcl-xL. Other closely integrated pathways control microglial activation, release of inflammatory cytokines, and caspase and calpain activation for the processing of amyloid precursor protein, tau protein cleavage, and presenilin disposal. New therapeutic avenues that are just open to exploration, such as with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide modulation, cell cycle modulation, metabotropic glutamate system modulation, and erythropoietin targeted expression, may provide both attractive and viable alternatives to treat Alzheimer's disease.