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CONy 2021 | What is Alzheimer’s disease? The importance of definitions

Amos Korczyn, MD, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, discusses whether the designation of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is fit for purpose. AD is viewed as a disease because of its clinical manifestations and underlying pathology. However, this combination does not define a disease, but rather a syndrome. AD is complex and it includes distinct subtypes such as early- and late-onset AD. Therefore, treatment has to be specialized to each subtype. An example that highlights the importance of terminology is the study of animal models which are genetically altered to possess early-onset AD mutations. Findings from such animal models may be extrapolatable to early-onset, but not late-onset AD. Prof. Korczyn also argues that late-onset AD is a constellation of symptoms leading to brain degeneration, rather than a disease, where the interplay between different factors such as hypertension and hearing loss produces a pattern of disease-related factors that is unique to the individual. This interview was conducted at the virtual 2021 World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy).