Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide, and Alzheimer’s disease constitutes up to 80% of dementia cases. Epidemiological and clinical studies highlight that cognitive complaints and dementia are also common symptoms of other neurological disorders. For instance, approximately 90% of Parkinson’s disease patients develop dementia over time, and about 30% of patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and Lewy body dementia possess Alzheimer’s co-pathology at autopsy.Reliable and reproducible modeling of these disorders is of primary importance to tackle the still open questions around their underlying pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms. Over the last decades, methodological advances in the neuroscience field allowed the development of a multitude of animal models in an attempt to better mimic the complexity of these devastating diseases. Despite the recent advances, none of these models fully recapitulates all the features of these disorders, which has severely hampered our understanding of their etiology and disease progression.The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight previous and newly developed animal models for the study of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.In this Research Topic, we will aim to address the key aspects of the use and generation of animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in order to promote the discussion around improved protocols, the field challenges, and future directions. This research topic will welcome the submission of original research, review, and methods papers. The following sub-topics are a few suggestions:- Define which human clinical signs and pathology need to be primarily assessed in invertebrate, rodents, and non-human primates (NHP) models- Report the most appropriate models and experimental and analytical assays to study for a specific condition/disease feature.- Evaluate transnationality and identify the gaps existing between clinical and pre-clinical models in terms of behavior, pathology, and known physiological processes.- Provide guidance to the field on the use of current animal models and suggestions on still much-needed models.
Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide, and Alzheimer’s disease constitutes up to 80% of dementia cases. Epidemiological and clinical studies highlight that cognitive complaints and dementia are also common symptoms of other neurological disorders. For instance, approximately 90% of Parkinson’s disease patients develop dementia over time, and about 30% of patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and Lewy body dementia possess Alzheimer’s co-pathology at autopsy.Reliable and reproducible modeling of these disorders is of primary importance to tackle the still open questions around their underlying pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms. Over the last decades, methodological advances in the neuroscience field allowed the development of a multitude of animal models in an attempt to better mimic the complexity of these devastating diseases. Despite the recent advances, none of these models fully recapitulates all the features of these disorders, which has severely hampered our understanding of their etiology and disease progression.The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight previous and newly developed animal models for the study of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.In this Research Topic, we will aim to address the key aspects of the use and generation of animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in order to promote the discussion around improved protocols, the field challenges, and future directions. This research topic will welcome the submission of original research, review, and methods papers. The following sub-topics are a few suggestions:- Define which human clinical signs and pathology need to be primarily assessed in invertebrate, rodents, and non-human primates (NHP) models- Report the most appropriate models and experimental and analytical assays to study for a specific condition/disease feature.- Evaluate transnationality and identify the gaps existing between clinical and pre-clinical models in terms of behavior, pathology, and known physiological processes.- Provide guidance to the field on the use of current animal models and suggestions on still much-needed models.