CNS Image Bank:
Dementia - Pathways in Alzheimer’s disease


The acetylcholine pathway in an Alzheimer’s disease brain

Compared with the normal brain there is reduced acetylcholine transmission in Alzheimer’s disease. The degeneration of acetylcholine containing neurones in both sub-cortical and cortical regions may account for the memory loss typical of Alzheimer’s disease.

The serotonin pathways in Alzheimer’s disease

The principal serotonin centres in the brain are the caudal and rostral raphe nuclei. Transmission of serotonin descending from the rostral raphe nuclei to the temporal lobe is decreased in Alzheimer’s disease compared with normal. The other major pathways for serotonin transmission, which project to the cerebellum and frontal lobe and descend the spinal cord, remain unchanged.

Page Tools: