The tumors of the brain similar to other pathological changes of that particular organ claim for a separate position in scientific medicine regarding biology, morphology, features of clinical manifestation, diagnostics and therapy. During the past years due to rapid progress in basic neurosciences and medical biotechnics the situation of the neuroclinician in front of brain tumors has been dramatically changed. The prerequisites for early and accurate diagnosis as well as for successful treatment also of malignant neoplasms have increased and remarkably improved. At the same time the information necessary for an appropriate pragmatic use of the available cognitive methods and therapeutic means increased along the same scale and is permanently being critically modified or changed due to fundamental new insights which come up in always shorter intervals. These facts necessitate the preparation of publications in which the state of the art is presented in possible completeness, systematic order and proper disposability for rational management and therapeutic strategies.

Epidemiological studies, modern clinical, neuroimaging, neuropsychological, molecular biological, and genetic studies have considerably enhanced our knowledge about ageing processes of the human brain, its sequelae, diagnostic, and therapeutic possibilities and limits. In addition to Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative dementias, the impact of cerebrovascular lesions and their risk factors in the pathogenesis of cognitive disorders of the aged are increasingly acknowledged, and the recognition of mild cognitive impairment as a frequent initial stage of developing dementia is becoming an increasingly important diagnostic and therapeutic problem. The included papers were presented at the 7th International Symposium in Graz, Sept. 2001 and give a timely overview of the current and future concepts of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment strategies of pathological brain ageing and dementias, early recognition of mild cognitive impairment and future possiblities of prevention of dementing processes.

Ageing and dementia are closely related conditions. Increasing age of the general population causes increasing incidence of dementing disorders in later life, although cognitive impairment is not necessarily a consequence of advancing age. The book presents the papers of the International Symposium on Ageing and Dementia, October 17-19, 1997 in Graz, where internationally renowned experts in the field of ageing and dementia gave an overview of the current knowledge about the epidemiology, pathomorphology, clinical diagnosis and course of brain ageing processes and related dementing disorders, biochemical markers and imaging procedures for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and current approaches to a successful treatment of dementia. "... this book will be of interest to clinicians with previous experience of clinical dementia assessements, and to researchers who want a comprehensive update on research areas of dementia with which they are less familiar. It will also be of interest to those following the development of neurotrophe factors for treatment of dementia who need an extensive introduction to the preclinical studies of Cerebrolysin (R). The book will be fairly useful as a textbook for clinicians who are learning about clinical dementia assessments for the first time." Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica

Unter den Erkrankungen des Ruckenmarks nehmen die durch Gefass-und Durchblutungsstoerungen bedingten einen bedeutenden Rang ein. Nach einer langeren Zeit, in der sich das Tagesinteresse der Neurologie anderen Proble- men zuwandte, erleben wir heute die erneute und verstarkte Zuwendung des Interesses der Kliniker und Physiologen zu diesem Gebiet, nachdem neue mor- phologische Analysen etwa seit 1950 den Boden fur eine umfassende Neu- bearbeitung vorbereiteten. Der Ruckenmarksanteil des ZNS verhalt sich in wichtigen Stucken seiner Zirkulation anders als der Gehirnanteil des ZNS. Die Vaskularisation in ihrer Beziehung zu den grossen Koerpergefassen, die pathophysiologischen Muster in ihrer Abhangigkeit von den funktionell-ana- tomischen Gegebenheiten (Endstromgebiete, Grenzzonen) und nicht zuletzt die Reaktionen der Gefasse selbst sind von denen des Gehirns in gewisser Hin- sicht verschieden und erfordern daher eine besondere Betrachtung. Die Defi- nition der verschiedenen Lasionsqualitaten bei gefassbedingten Stoerungen und ihrer pathogenetischen Konstellationen wurde aber nicht nur eine wichtige Bereicherung der Zirkulationspathologie bedeuten, sondern koennte zugleich den gegenwartigen klinischen Bestrebungen in Richtung auf eine fundierte Differentialdiagnose der Ruckenmarkserkrankungen eine Grundlage geben. Ansatze zu dieser Entwicklung, hinter der die Aussicht auf eine rationale Therapie bestimmter Stoerungen steht, sind bereits vorhanden.