Senile atrophy

The application of topical tretinoin improves senile atrophy of the skin a decrease in cell abnormalities and dysplasias can be seen, as well as an antitumor effect that persists after the end of treatment if it has been administered correctly and for a sufficiently long period. ... 

Generally, but not invariably, postmortem macroscopic examination of the brain reveals cerebral atrophy with narrowed convolutions, widened sulci, and enlarged lateral and third ventricles. On microscopic examination brain specimens from patients with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer s disease are characterized by widely spread cortical senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and granulovascular degeneration. 

Indications Liver/kidney yin vacuity. Retarded growth of children, lumbago, optic neuritis, central retinitis, optic nerve atrophy, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, Addison s disease, hypertension, neurasthenia, functional uterine bleeding, chronic urinary tract infection, chronic nephritis, chronic glomerulonephritis, nephroatrophy, deafness, impotence, nocturnal emission, nocturia, menopause, senility... 

AD is characterized by marked atrophy of the cerebral cortex and loss of cortical and subcortical neurons. The pathological hallmarks of AD are senile plaques, which are spherical accumulations of the protein -amyloid accompanied by degenerating neuronal processes, and abundant neurofibrillary tangles, composed of paired helical filaments and other proteins. In advanced AD, senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are most abundant in the hippocampus and associative regions of the cortex, whereas areas such as the visual and motor cortices are relatively spared. This corresponds to the clinical features of marked impairment of memory and abstract reasoning, with preservation of vision and movement. 

Alzheimer s disease is characterized by atrophy of the cerebral cortex, usually more severe in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. The most characteristic microscopic findings are the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These are mostly found throughout the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The activity of choline acetyltransferase, the biosynthetic enzyme of acetylcholine, has a 50 to 90% reduction in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in AD. Therefore, cholinergic neurons are largely affected. 

Rouser, G., G. Feldman, and C. Galli Fatty acid compositions of liuman brain lecithin and sphingomyelin in normal individuals, senile cerebral cortical atrophy, Alzheimer s disease, metachromatic leucodystrophy, Tay-Sachs, Niemann-Pick diseases. J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc.42,411 (1965 a). 

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