This book is the outcome of an international conference, held at the Aviya Sonesta Hotel in Eilat, Israel, on March 24-27, 1985. This was the 30th in a series of the annual OHOLO Conferences, sponsored by the Israel Institute for Biological Research. Participants in this Conference consisted of scientists from four teen countries; represented a broad spectrum of research interests; and included a well-balanced representation from academia, clinical institutions and pharmaceutical industry. The book includes talks, poster sessions, and a comprehensive general discussion, all from the proceedings of this conference. In the interest of assuring a rapid publication of the novel infor mation reviewed, this book has been prepared in camera-ready format. We are cognizant of the fact that several typographical errors may exist in the text, and that there are variations in style and typeface of the var ious chapters. This, we felt, was a reasonable compromise for the sake of speed and efficient transmission of valuable scientific information. No body is perfect . **** The success of the conference, and hence the quality of this book are attributable to the extensive efforts of a large number of extremely capable individuals. These include members of the Scientific Organizing Committee, and the Technical staff of the OHOLO Organization. Of course, the conference could not have succeeded without the high quality of the presentations, and the enthusiastic participation of the contributing scientists.

Alzheimer's disease is a primary neurodegenerative disease whose incidence and prevalence is rapidly approaching epidemic proportions. A major reason for this is that man is living longer than he has ever lived before and the likelihood of contracting the disease is significantly greater within the elderly portion of the population. The problem becomes even more acute in the light of recent estimates which predict that the number of people living beyond the age of 65 is expected to continue to increase. The impact of these statistics on the family and the health care industry in terms of time, effort and cost are staggering. A recent report issued by the Michigan Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Conditions (1987) effectively underscores this last point. "Each person with a dementing disease requires an average of seven years of care, either at home or in a residential care facility. Care provided at home is estimated to cost about $12,000 annually, for a total of $84,000 per person. This is a conservative figure, however, because many persons with dementia spend their last few years in a nursing home at an average 'cost of $22,000 per year, and some spend from 10 to 15 years in a nursing home, for a total cost of $220,000 to $330,000.