Síndrome demencial e modelos experimentais para o estudo de doenças neurodegenerativas

Abstract

Dementia syndrome is defined as a memory impairment, associated with a decline in at least one other cognitive function, in a way that interferes with the performance of the individual's activities. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that the number of people with dementia in the world will triple by 2050. The aim of the present study was to collect information about Dementia and the experimental animal models used in the study of this pathology, focusing on Alzheimer's Disease, in order to provide a simplified and comprehensive guide on the subject. The methodology consisted in grouping evidences obtained in scientific publications related to the subject. Finally, several patterns of dementia which result in different pathological changes in the brain and which are insidious and progressive are currently recognized. The ones discussed here were Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Frontotemporal Dementias, Huntington's Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Vascular Dementias, Reversible Dementias and Alzheimer's Disease, the most prevalent in society. Differential diagnosis is often flawed, and existing treatments are only partial. The development of pharmacological therapy to prevent or treat the various types of dementias depends on the detailed recognition of the relevant and central mechanisms for the establishment of the disease. Here we discussed examples of experimental models of toxin-induced cognitive deficits, transgenic animal models, and cerebral ischemia models. The importance of research and development of these models is evident for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the dementia syndrome and for the production of potential treatments.