Glutamate Receptor Dysfunction in Models of Alzheimer's Disease

The complexity of cognitive decline in Alzheimer s §disease warrants for a thorough investigation into §the molecular mechanism that lead to impaired §learning and memory. Certain molecules have been §suggested to play significant roles in AD §progression including two major hallmarks of AD, §amyloid beta and tau proteins.The two may interact §with some neurotransmitter systems involved in §learning and memory to cause neurodegeneration. The §most common and well studied neurotransmitter §systems are the cholinergic and glutamatergic §systems. Indeed, appropriate expression and function §of glutamate receptors are important in cognitive §processes. It is possible that these hallmarks and §neurotransmitter systems work synergistically to §execute the cognitive decline observed in AD.It is §therefore important to unravel the early events that §lead to the cascade of events prior to the overt §signs of cognitive decline. Tissue and animal models §have been used by several investigators. The model §of choice depends on the intended target point in §the neuropathological cascade. The study in this §book utilized AD models to elucidate the early §events of neurodegeneration