Biological aging processes underlying cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are among the top contributors to disability and mortality in later life. As with many chronic conditions, aging is the single most influential factor in the development of ADRD. Even among older adults who remain free of dementia throughout their lives, cognitive decline and neurodegenerative changes are appreciable with advancing age, suggesting shared pathophysiological mechanisms. In this Review, we provide an overview of changes in cognition, brain morphology, and neuropathological protein accumulation across the lifespan in humans, with complementary and mechanistic evidence from animal models. Next, we highlight selected aging processes that are…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• AA
  Alzheimer's Association
• AD
  Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

  Award: GC-201908-2019443
• CA
  Cure Alzheimer's Fund
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: U24AG059624, P30AG066546
• UO
  University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
• NI
  National Institute on Aging

  Awards: U24AG059624, P30AG066546
• NI
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke