Kuller Lewis H, Lopez Oscar L
Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Alzheimers Dement. 2008 Jan;4(1 Suppl 1):S77-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2007.09.004. Epub 2007 Dec 21.
One of Dr Leon Thal's major contributions to Alzheimer's disease (AD) research was the network of clinical trials and his strong commitment to finding effective therapies for both the prevention and treatment of AD in the population. AD and dementia research has matured since the inception of the Alzheimer's Disease Center program from a primary social service problem to clinical-pathologic correlates and better definition of disease to evaluation of measures of cognition, in vivo images of the brain, and then to measures of beta amyloid and tau in vivo and relationship to clinical dementia. Unfortunately, we still do not know the etiology of AD or the relationship to other brain abnormalities such as vascular disease and Lewy bodies. We also do not have good preventive or treatment strategies. Both are badly needed. The critical question is whether this field is ready for a major change in focus from primarily a descriptive science to analytical, longitudinal studies testing new research hypotheses that will lead to better preventive and treatment approaches.
利昂·索尔博士对阿尔茨海默病（AD）研究的主要贡献之一是临床试验网络，以及他为在人群中找到预防和治疗AD的有效疗法所做出的坚定承诺。自阿尔茨海默病中心项目启动以来，AD和痴呆症研究已经成熟，从最初的社会服务问题发展到临床病理相关性研究、对疾病的更好定义，再到认知测量、大脑活体成像，然后是体内β淀粉样蛋白和tau蛋白的测量以及它们与临床痴呆症的关系。不幸的是，我们仍然不知道AD的病因，也不知道它与其他脑部异常（如血管疾病和路易体）的关系。我们也没有良好的预防或治疗策略。这两者都非常需要。关键问题是，这个领域是否已经准备好将重点从主要的描述性科学转向分析性的纵向研究，以检验新的研究假设，从而带来更好的预防和治疗方法。
