The importance of inflammatory mechanisms for the development of Alzheimer's disease.

A variety of inflammatory proteins has been identified in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The current data suggest that the inflammatory processes are intimately involved in several crucial events in the pathological cascade. Immunohistochemical studies reveal that those parts of the brain wherein the amyloid-beta deposits are closely associated with a chronic inflammatory response are strongly related to the characteristic symptoms. An inflammation-based approach could also provide a valuable theoretical framework to study the influence of extracerebral factors (such as acute phase reactants) on the clinical course of Alzheimer's disease.