Abstract
Epidemiological studies on the senile brain based on the histopathology are reviewed.
1) Alzheimer's neurofibrillary changes, senile plaques and granulovacuolar degenerations increase with aging. The frequency in the nineth decade and older, however, decreases. There are no close correlation between the number of Alzheimer cells and the distribution and density of the plaques.
2) The A-changes are confined almost exclusively to the median tempolar lobe. If the changes are confined to these regions, they may be considered to represent one of the physiological senile changes of the brain and the number of these cells may indicate gradation in the aging process.
3) The incidence of the plaques in the Japanese is much lower than those of most reports from the European countries and the United States. However recent studies reveal some evidence that the incidence is increasing among Japanese population.
4) Statistical studies on the granulovacuolar degenerations are too small to make geographic comparison from the pathological point of view.
