Pathologies of Ageing: Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s is a chronic, progressive brain disease which mainly affects the elderly. It is caused by disruptions in brain circuits and its primary symptoms are memory loss, changes in behaviour and inability to perform certain tasks. Some 44 million people around the world suffer from Alzheimer’s today and this figure is expected to rise in coming decades in keeping with increased life expectancy. In other words, it is even possible to speak of an epidemic. The molecular causes of Alzheimer’s will be discussed, together with the research programmes and clinical trials being carried out on a worldwide scale, with particular attention to work in Barcelona on projects aiming to find a cure for the disease.

Lecture by Elena Galea, ICREA research professor at the Institut de Neurociències at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

Presented by: Jordi Camí, Professor of Pharmacology at the Pompeu Fabra University, director of the PRBB (Barcelona Biomedical Research Park) and of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation for research into Alzheimer’s disease.