Acetylcholine in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Dr. Zaborszky MD, PhD is a Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience at Rutgers University. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Brain Structure and Function. Author of over 115 scientific papers, book chapters and a monograph. His work on the basal forebrain cholinergic system has greatly advanced in the field of neural basis of attention and cognition, as well as basic and translational research of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. His research received generous support from the NIH/NINDS for over 28 years. He was President, New York Hungarian Scientific Society (2012-2016), President, Association of American Hungarian Academicians (2018-2020), Foreign Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS, 2007-); Board of Trustees Award for Research Excellence (President, Rutgers University, 2016), The Knight Cross, Order of Merit (President of Hungary, 2013). Chair of the Newark Faculty Council of Rutgers University (2016/2017). Dr. Ovsepian MD, PhD is Professor of Neurobiology, Director of the Research Program, Head of the Department of Experimental Neurobiology at the National Institute of Mental Health, Prague, Czech Republic. He is a Faculty Member of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. Prof. Ovsepian is also Adjunct Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of the Sciences and Health, Dublin City University, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. He is author of over 70 peer reviewed papers and several book chapters on synaptic biology, neurophysiology, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, and developing new methods for brain imaging. He is Member of Board of Directors Dublin City University (2009-2012) and Member of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Mental Health (2018-2020), Czech Republic.

1. Anatomy of the basal forebrain cholinergic (BFC) system in rodents and primates, including humans 2. Input-output relations of BFC neurons 3. Cholinergic receptors: neurobiology and functions 4. Dementias 5. Neuropathology of AD 6. Cholinergic deficit in AD 7. Relationship between cholinergic loss, pathological lesions in AD and dementia 8. Progression of the disease, clinical-pathological correlations in MCI/AD 9. Pathology of the aging brain in relation to AD 10. Amyloid deposition with large-scale human network dysfunctions in aging and AD 11. APP processing, ß-amyloid, a,ß,? secretases, notch signaling 12. ?-amyloid production, secretion, oligomerization, clearance/export, degradation 13. Synaptic vesicle cycle and ß-amyloid: intracellular trafficking, retromer sorting, autophagy 14. Tau phosphorylation, NFTs, axonal transport 15. The wnt-GSK-3 signaling, presenilin, tau 16. Apolipoprotein, LRP receptors, lipid homeostasis 17. ApoE alleles, gene mutations in AD 18. Microglia activation, inflammation 19. Epigenetic mechanisms in AD 20. Transgenic mice models in AD 21. Pathogenetic (mechanistic) schemes 22. Current therapies in AD 23. Vulnerability and repair of BFC neurons, early attempts 24. Biochemical pathways linking muscarinic, nicotinic receptors with APP cleavage and phosphorylation of tau 25. NGF, TrkA, p75, neurobiology, transport and signaling in cholinergic neurons 26. Homeostatic clearance of Aß mediated via p75 receptor uptake and degradation in BFC neurons 27. Cell cycle proteins in BFC cells 28. Dual, neuromodulator and homeostatic role of BFC system 29. Atrophy of BFC compartments and relation to cognitive impairment in MCI/AD 30. Volume of Ch1/2 is predictor of conversion from MCI to AD 31. Summary and concluding remarks