Entorhinal cortex dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

The entorhinal cortex (EC) is the brain region that often exhibits the earliest histological alterations in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and cell death. Recently, brain imaging studies from preclinical AD patients and electrophysiological recordings from AD animal models have shown that impaired neuronal activity in the EC precedes neurodegeneration. This implies that memory impairments and spatial navigation deficits at the initial stage of AD are likely caused by activity dysfunction, rather than cell death. This review will focus on recent findings on EC dysfunction in AD, and discuss the potential pathways for mitigating AD progression by protecting the EC.

内嗅皮层（EC）是在阿尔茨海默病（AD）中经常出现最早的组织学改变的大脑区域，包括神经原纤维缠结的形成和细胞死亡。最近，来自临床前AD患者的脑成像研究以及来自AD动物模型的电生理记录表明，内嗅皮层的神经元活动受损先于神经退行性变。这意味着在AD初期的记忆障碍和空间导航缺陷可能是由活动功能障碍而非细胞死亡引起的。本综述将聚焦于AD中内嗅皮层功能障碍的最新发现，并讨论通过保护内嗅皮层来减缓AD进展的潜在途径。