Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly population (some 5-10% of people over 65 evidence some of the signs of AD) and the fourth leading cause of death in adults (source: NCBI , Bethesda, U.S.A.).

	This neurodegenerative disease results in a slow but progressive deterioration in cognitive ability. In its earliest stages, the symptoms may be minor (some confusion and forgetfulness) but in later stages they may impact enormously on the sufferer's ability to lead a normal life.
	It is characterised histopathologically by the presence of two hallmark brain lesions, extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid in neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs).
	In the future, as life expectancies increase and there is a steadily increasing proportion of older people in the population, the numbers of people affected by AD (and other such disorders) is likely to increase dramatically. This will not only affect the lives of those of us unfortunate enough to be sufferers; it will also create a significant burden on the health and caring resources of communities worldwide.
	There is thus a pressing  need for a cure or effective treatment for this disease and many groups of researchers throughout the world are working on AD as you read this.
	This site is an attempt to pull together some of their research findings, especially in regard to cell biological and biochemical aspects.

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