ABSTRACT
From a neurochemical standpoint, acetylcholine (ACh), glutamate, serotonin and noradrenaline are the major transmitter systems aected in AD with relative sparing of dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and most peptides
(Francis et al., 1993, 2010b). is chapter examines both cognitive and non-cognitive (behavioural) correlates of neurotransmitter dysfunction, the latter also being considered to relate to structural and functional alterations in the central nervous system (CNS). Such changes are important, partially because carers nd behavioural disturbances dif-cult to cope with and the presence of such behaviours in AD patients oen leads to institutionalization. is chapter focuses on cholinergic and glutamatergic systems; for a comprehensive review of neurotransmission in AD see Lai et al. (2007).
