Alexander Hartmann - Böcker

In contrast to dementia of the Alzheimer type, the subject of dementia subsequent to cerebral ischemia has been discussed rather rarely. Now this book provides a summary of the brain morphology, neurochemistry and clinical aspects of dementia subsequent to cerebral ischemia. The contributions discuss the similarities and differences between the two predominant dementia types. The broad range of aspects cover 1) the morphology and morphobiology of brain tissue during aging and under the two pathological condi- tions, 2) the neuropathochemistry of post mortem brain tissue of patients as well as brain tissue from experimental animals, 3) CSF changes during aging and in dementia states and 4) clinical research, mainly using brain imaging tech- niques to differentiate between dementia types and to find a basis for rational therapeutic approaches.

In this volume, one of a series of monographs devoted to the problems of cerebral ischemia and related topics, we present the proceedings of an international conference on Cerebral Ischemia and Basic Mechanisms held in Bad Schachen/Lake Constance, Germany in June 1992. The enormous progress in research recently on the basic mechanisms associated with cerebral ischemia has provided greater insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of reduced brain perfusion and decreased cerebral metabolism. The high technology instrumentation used to unravel the intricacies of cerebral blood flow and metabolism includes positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. A description of sophisticated neurophysiological techniques will give the reader insight into new models of reversible and irreversible tissue damage and changes at the molecular level have been described. The therapeutic approaches which have developed from this re­ search have been or will be used in clinical trials and will open new avenues in the treatment of stroke. The organizers of the meeting would like to thank the advisory board for its helpful suggestions and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and other sponsors for their important support.

Although many books deal with isolated problems of calcium disturbance in relation to cardiac and cerebral function, this is the first to focus specifically on calcium metabolism and cerebral ischemia. Internationally acknowledged experts present recent data and new concepts in an interdisciplinary approach to the subject. They examine basic information on the pathophysiology of cellular events, the damage caused by excitotoxic substances, and the effects of calcium antagonistic drugs as measured in experimental animals. These contributions may help lead to possible therapeutic interference for the prevention of calcium imbalance.