With the induction under the stress conditions such as the brain injury and the infection, the microglia in the central nervous system will rapidly be activated to promote the neuroinflammation. Extensive chronic neuroinflammation can be found in neurodegenerative diseases, and the abnormal folding protein deposited in the brain of patients is usually the key cause of inflammation. In addition, the neuroinflammation may also directly participate in the induction of the disease. This paper reviews the mechanisms underlying the activation of inflammation in multiple neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cutting-edge studies of how the inflammation induces the disease initiation and aggravates the disease process. It is suggested that the next key research goal is to find the drugs that target the key sites of the microglia activation with a good blood-brain barrier permeability.

The extracellular deposition of the amyloid β (Aβ) and the intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are hallmarks of the Alzheimer's disease (AD). Abnormal accumulation of the Aβ and the tau (the major components of the NFTs) in the brain induces the aberrant activity of neurons and the structural/functional deficits of neural circuits, which may account for the cognitive impairments in the AD patients. This paper briefly reviews the generation of the Aβ and the tau, and then focuses on the abnormal activities of neurons and neural circuits induced by the Aβ and the tau. Meanwhile, the effects of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE), the neuroinflammation and the abnormal adult neurogenesis on the aberrant activities of neurons and neural circuits in the AD patients are discussed. It is hoped that these discussions will provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the cognitive dysfunctions in the AD patients.

The Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder most commonly found in elderly people, which imposes a massive burden on both the families and the society. It is not only one of the most serious health issue facing the mankind, but also a major social problem restricting the sustainable development of the social economy in the 21st century. Unfortunately, there is no reliable method to treat or even to delay the process due to the unknown pathogenesis of the AD. Therefore, to precisely elucidate the mechanisms of the AD and thereby to find a way of treating the disease is a hot topic in the AD research field. This paper reviews representative studies of the AD mechanisms related to the cholinergic system, the Aβ cascade hypothesis, the immune inflammation, the excitatory toxicity and the glucolipid metabolism, as well as recent studies by using novel techniques including the optogenetics, the cryo-electron microscopy imaging, the photo- and magnetic stimulation, and the ultrasonic drug delivery. It is suggested that we should pay attention to other interdisciplinary fields, such as the advanced imaging/detection technology, the accurate diagnosis and prevention, and the wearable physical therapy instrument.

The Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major form of dementia and the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. In view of its high heritability, the genetic and genomic study plays essential roles in the basic researches and the clinical practice of the AD. This paper reviews the research advances regarding the genetic analyses of the AD, from the linkage analyses and the genome-wide association studies, to the next-generation sequencing studies, including also the functional variations, the causal genes, the multi-omic alterations, and the biological mechanisms underlying the AD genetics from the perspective of the functional genomics. It is expected that the genomic and functional genomic studies will contribute to the understanding and the management of the disease.

The Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease, is the major cause of dementia in senior people. The late-onset AD (LOAD) accounts for more than 95% of the total AD population. Apolipoprotein E ε4 (ApoE4) is the most prevalent risk gene in the LOAD. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which ApoE4 contributes to the alterations of the energy and the lipid metabolism. Alterations of metabolism, including the energy and the lipid, are frequently observed in the brains of individuals with a mild cognitive impairment and the AD. Therefore, ApoE4 induces the LOAD pathogenesis probably by impairing the metabolic homoestasis based on the clinical and basic researches. This could potentially provide new therapeutical targets in the drug development for the AD.

The Alzheimer's disease (AD) is usually insidious in its onset and there are no drugs or methods to effectively control and treat the disease. Early prediction and intervention during the stage of the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can effectively delay the course of the disease. The review contains two aspects. One is the early clinical diagnosis of the AD based on the brain imaging radiomics features, another is the AD early prediction based on the artificial intelligence (AI) of the imaging radiomics. We propose that in the framework of the deep learning, the imaging and the genomics are combined to construct a deep learning model with a high classification and prediction performance, to provide support for early screening and intervention of the AD.

Recently, our paper entitled "evidense-based prevention of Alzheimer's disease" published in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (JNNP) has attached much attention. In this review, we will discuss the contents of this paper including the prevention strategies, the population difference, the current status and the future prospect of the AD, to guide the clinical practice of the AD primary prevention, such as the healthy lifestyles (the weight control, the physical exercise, the cognitive activity, sufficient and good quality sleep, and staying away from smoking), and the management of comorbidities (the diabetes, the high blood pressure, the hyperhomocysteinaemia, the cardiovascular disorders, the head trauma, and the depression), and it is shown that the high education and the vitamin C intake can reduce the incidence risk of the Alzheimer's disease (AD).