NEUROPATHOLOGY CORE

在识别可能参与阿尔茨海默病发病机制的基因和分子通路方面取得了重大进展。不幸的是，我们仍然对这些基因和途径如何最终触发阿尔茨海默病症状和疾病进展的了解有限。阿尔茨海默病的动物模型未能概括在人类阿尔茨海默病大脑中观察到的神经病理变化的光谱，尽管临床对阿尔茨海默病的认识取得了进展，但确定的诊断需要仔细的尸检脑组织。利用适当收集和保存的阿尔茨海默病患者、非阿尔茨海默病患者和正常老年对照组的脑组织和其他生物样本进行研究，对于增进我们对阿尔茨海默病发生的细胞和分子机制的了解至关重要。长期的 UAB神经病理学核心实验室的目标是支持研究，加深我们对阿尔茨海默病分子机制的了解，改善阿尔茨海默病患者的日常生活，并指出新的治疗方法。为了实现这些目标，UAB神经病理实验室建议：1)使用NIA-里根研究所工作组标准和现代神经病理学技术，准确诊断阿尔茨海默病患者和其他痴呆症患者的神经病理异常；2)快速收集并妥善保存尸检的阿尔茨海默病患者、非阿尔茨海默病患者和 3)妥善维护我们从阿尔茨海默病患者、非阿尔茨海默病患者和认知正常的老年对照组中收集的经过精确解剖和保存的脑组织和其他生物标本，并将这些标本提供给研究阿尔茨海默病的校内外调查人员。通过努力提供必要的服务来支持UAB阿尔茨海默病研究中心的其他组成部分，并促进UAB研究社区内外的其他调查人员进行阿尔茨海默病研究，我们将显著扩大这些合作调查人员对阿尔茨海默病进行基础和临床研究的能力

Significant progress has been made in identifying genes and molecular pathways that may be involved in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. Unfortunately, we still have a limited understanding of how these genes and pathways ultimately trigger Alzheimer disease symptoms and disease progression. Animal models of Alzheimer disease have failed to recapitulate the spectrum of neuropathological changes observed in the human Alzheimer disease brain and despite advances in the clinical recognition of Alzheimer's disease, definitive diagnosis requires careful examination of autopsy brain tissue. Research utilizing properly collected and preserved brain tissue and other biologic samples from Alzheimer disease patients, non-Alzheimer dementia patients and normal aged controls is essential for advancing our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of Alzheimer disease. The long-term goal of the UAB Neuropathology Core Laboratory is to support research which furthers our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer disease, improves the daily life of patients with Alzheimer disease and points to new therapeutic approaches. To achieve these goals, the UAB Neuropathology Laboratory proposes to: 1) Accurately diagnose the neuropathologic abnormalities in Alzheimer patients and those with other dementing illnesses using the NIA-Reagan Institute Working Group criteria and modern neuropathological techniques; 2) Rapidly collect and properly preserve precisely dissected brain tissues and other biological specimens from autopsied Alzheimer disease cases, non-Alzheimer dementia patients and cognitively normal aged controls; and 3) Properly maintain our extensive collection of precisely dissected and preserved brain tissues and other biological specimens from Alzheimer disease cases, non-Alzheimer dementia cases and cognitively normal aged controls and to provide specimens from this collection to intramural and extramural investigators studying Alzheimer disease. By working to provide services necessary to support the other components of the UAB Alzheimer Disease Research Center and facilitating Alzheimer disease research by other investigators, both inside and outside the UAB research community, we will significantly expand the ability of these collaborating investigators to conduct both basic and clinical research into Alzheimer disease