New Insights into the Mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease: A Multidisciplinary Approach

The current research on Alzheimer’s disease is primarily focused on the discovery of specific protein subunits as well as identification of genetic mechanisms involved in this disease. With the appearance of the “hypoperfusion” theory as well as findings from numerous population-based studies linking Alzheimer’s disease to “vascular” disorders (i.e. hypertension, atherosclerosis etc.), it became evident that the important task for understanding Alzheimer’s disease is to thoroughly examine hemodynamics and blood rheology. Such approach may also result in finding of successful treatments of Alzheimer’s disease.

This book is written by a scientist and a cardiologist who previously successfully described mechanism of complex pathologies with strong vascular component (i.e. traumatic cardiac valve disease, crash syndrome, acute myocardial infarction resulted from traumatic injury, trauma-related right bundle branch block etc.). His peer-reviewed manuscripts have been published in such prestigious journals as “American Heart Journal”, “International Journal of Cardiology”, “American Journal of Kidney Disease”, “Journal of Trauma”, “European Journal of Trauma” etc. His theoretical papers at BioMed Central have been accessed more than 30000 times, and the most frequently accessed paper on traumatic myocardial infarction was accessed more than 10000 times over all.

More than a hundred and thirty books and peer-reviewed articles have been reviewed for this book. It has two major parts; the first one is looking at the complex interplay of regional brain extravascular extracellular fluid dynamics, cardiac function and pathology (i.e. atrial fibrillation) and Alzheimer’s disease. Previous research evidence suggests that both formation and subsequent growth of plaques occurs both extravascularly and extracellulary. Moreover, the extravascular extracellular fluid can produce amyloid-beta building blocks for plaques. In addition, amyloid beta-protein can move through extravascular extracellular fluid before aggregation and subsequent involvement in neurodegeneration. Finally, consideration of regional brain extravascular extracellular fluid dynamics is also particularly important in light of the fact that certain waste products such as glutamate or calcium can accumulate there causing degradation of certain cellular components thus playing an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.

The second part of the book is focusing on the relationship between several hemorheological factors (i.e. blood viscosity, concentration of erythrocytes and erythrocyte aggregations (rouleaux) and Alzheimer’s disease. Analyses and models described in both parts of this book are not only particularly relevant to describe the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, but can be applied to other physiological systems of human body that involve regional extravascular extracellular fluid dynamics (i.e. pulmonary system, tumors etc.).

The nature of the book is highly multidisciplinary: the epidemiological analysis is based on a very large dataset (more than 7.4 million patients); it supports not only the theoretical (mathematical and biomechanical analyses) but also examines an association between Alzheimer’s disease and pathologies that either have not been examined previously (such as polycythemia vera, sick sinus syndrome, sinus bradycardia etc.) or have been rarely examined (i.e. hypothyroidism, atrial fibrillation etc.). Additional epidemiologic consideration is given to the association between Alzheimer’s disease and such important health concerns as ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury.

The end of the book leads us through the practical implications of the results and it will be of interest to a wide audience ranging from Alzheimer’s disease scientists, researchers involved in studies focused on hemodynamics and blood rheology as well as to general medicine physicians, geriatricians, hematologists and cardiologists