The pathologic physiology of dementia with indications for diagnosis and treatment.

1. Historical Overview of Dementia. - Prelude to the Modern Era. - Age of Alzheimer and Kraepelin. - History of Alzheimer's Disease. - References. - 2. Clinical Manifestations as a Determinant of Dementia. - General Considerations. - Functional Mental Syndromes as a Manifestation of Brain Disease. - Acute Confusion. - Specialized Syndromes in Dementia. - Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. - Kluver-Bucy Syndrome (Limbic Encephalitis). - Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. - Summary of Specialized Syndromes. - Summary of Clinical Manifestations. - References. - 3. Diagnostic Tests of Dementia as Research Tools. - Psychological Tests of Intelligence. - Electroencephalography. - Radiographic Technique. - Morphologic and Chemical Assay of Brain Tissue. - References. - 4. Treatment of Senile Dementia. - Acute Confusion. - Circulatory Agents. - Metabolic Stimulants. - Psychoactive Drug Therapy. - Antiviral Therapy. - Surgical Management. - Shunt Therapy. - Carotid Surgery. - Conclusions. - References. - 5. Epidemiology of Dementia. - General Considerations. - Previous Surveys of Senile Dementia. - Cross-Sectional Survey. - Larsson Survey. - Autopsy Studies. - The GM Survey. - Characteristics of the Population. - Methods. - Diagnosis of Dementia. - Results. - Etiologic Implications of Epidemiology. - Aging. - Heredity. - Slow Virus Infection. - Concluding Remarks. - References. - 6. Current Evaluation of Pathologic Correlates of Dementia. - Congophilic Angiopathy. - Senile Plaques. - Endogenous Plaque Formation. - Exogenous Origin From Circulating Immunoproteins. - Neurofibrillary Tangles. - Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. - Other Pathologic Correlates. - Aluminum. - Lipofuscin. - Granulovacuolar Degeneration. - Pathogenetic Implications of Pathology. - References. - 7. Arteriosclerotic Dementia. - Dementia Following Multiple Strokes. - Little Strokes. - Diffuse Cerebral Ischemia. - Ischemia Due to Macrovascular Disease. - Carotid Artery Occlusion. - Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency. - Ischemia Due to Microvascular Disease. - Cerebral Blood Flow Study of Dementia. - Summary. - References. - 8. Critical Evaluation of the Concept of Mental Aging. - Functional Aspects of the Elderly Brain. - Mental Behavior in the Aged. - Memory. - Cognitive Function. - Psychoses After 65. - Electroencephalography. - Routine EEG. - Visual Evoked Response (VER). - Cerebral Blood Flow. - Immunologic Indices of Aging. - Pathology of the Aged Brain. - Brain Weight as a Determinant of Atrophy. - Neuron Loss With Aging. - Senile Plaques, Neurofibrillary Tangles, Granulovacuolar Degeneration. - Lipofuscin. - Abnormalities of the Peripheral Neuron. - Epidemiology of Mental Aging. - Cross-Sectional Survey of Effectiveness. - Longitudinal Survey of Aging. - Summary of Longitudinal Surveys. - Psychological Test of Intelligence. - Psychometrics as Determinants of Longevity. - Biologic Factors of Longevity. - Conclusions. - Summary of Mental Aging. - References. - 9. Nature and Cause of Alzheimer's Disease: The Case for Slow Virus Infection. - Nature of AD. - Clinical Indicators. - Diagnostic Criteria. - Epidemiology. - Pathologic Data. - Etiologic Potential for AD. - Metabolic Disease. - Autoimmune Disease. - Metallic Intoxication. - Slow Virus Infection. - Concept of Slow Virus Infection. - Comparison of AD and Slow Virus Infection. - References.