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Welcome to MRI Online's session

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on neurodegenerative disease.

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Neurodegenerative disease encompasses a very broad

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range of abnormalities. From toxicities, all the way

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up to heredofamilial and genetic abnormalities.

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But neurodegenerative diseases affect

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millions of people worldwide.

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Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are

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the most common types of what I call non-toxicity

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related neurodegenerative disorders.

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With more than 5 million Americans living with

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Alzheimer's disease and at least 500,000 Americans

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living with Parkinson's disease.

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That's a million and a half people.

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Now, if you lump into this category of primary

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neurodegenerative disorders,

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two other main players, namely Lewy body dementia,

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LBD and Frontotemporal dementia,

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previously called Pick's disease,

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you've got the bulwark of major

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neurodegenerative disorders.

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Population-wide health improvements

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have increased our lifespans.

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So people that might not have gotten

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neurodegenerative diseases, because they might have

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died at age 60 or 70, are now getting

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them at age 75, 80, 85, and 90.

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So a larger generation of aging Americans are

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presenting with neurodegenerative disorders,

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which means that the imaging for these disorders

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is expanding, not contracting.

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So it means more people are going to be affected

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in the coming decades and more imaging,

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especially with MRI, is going to be done.

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So why is it so important to image these diseases?

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Because some of them have no treatment,

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but then again, some of them do.

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So the obvious answer is some are treatable.

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Genetics is a very important reason.

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Understanding what the risk factors are for parents

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and progeny.

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Prognosis.

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What's the lifespan of the patient?

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Treatment.

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For instance,

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Parkinson's disease is treatable

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with derivatives of Sinemet,

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while Parkinson-related disorders or

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pseudo Parkinson's disease often doesn't respond

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to Sinemet-type or dopaminergic preparations.

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Mimickers of neurodegenerative diseases,

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such as toxicity. You know, heroin,

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chronic heroin abuse can mimic a neurodegenerative

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disorder or dementia.

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Reversible disorders.

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NPH, normal pressure hydrocephalus,

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which might be treated with a shunt in a

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specialized setting. And finally,

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research so that we gain a greater understanding

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of these neurodegenerative diseases.

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Let's move on, shall we?