Atypical dementias: from diagnosis to emerging therapies

Dementia represents the most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately 5% of the elderly population over age 65 years. At present, different forms of dementia are distinguished, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration, progressive nuclear palsy and Parkinson dementia. Often, these atypical dementias are associated with neurological symptoms and with motor neuron disease. Understanding the molecular basis of these dementias, their diagnosis, clinical implications, and diagnostic issues, currently represents one of the most pressing issues worldwide. For this reason, the meeting topics are of high interest for the whole scientific community. The meeting will foster targeted emerging areas of research in this field. In parallel, it also plans to integrate and disseminate current knowledge on the subject. The subject areas of the Meeting will mostly be concerned with the several forms of atypical dementias that are on the rise in both developed and developing countries. This will particularly include leading conceptual advances that arise from the study of early and late stage pathological neurodegeneration. As a result, the meeting will be positioned to provide invaluable guidance for other scientists, governing bodies, and the general population towards the best ways of lessening the impact of dementia, both at the macro-economical and individual human level.