Helmholtz Alliance for Mental Health in an Ageing Society
Coordinator
Wurst, Wolfgang ; Amunts, Katrin ; Zilles, Karl ; Shah, N
Grant period
2007-01-01 - 2013-12-31
Funding body
Helmholtz Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren
HGF
Identifier
G:(DE-Juel1)HGF-HelMA-2007-2013
Note: Since in our society life expectancy is progressively increasing and in parallel birth rates are regressing the number of elderly people will become greater than ever. In 2000, there will be 600 million people aged 60 and over in the world; by 2025 this number will have risen to 1.2 billion and to 2 billion in 2050. As a consequence the prevalence of chronic age-related diseases such as degenerative diseases of the nervous system will be gradually rising and represents a major threat to our health care system. According to a prognosis of the WHO, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease belong to the top 4 of diseases accounting for most healthy years lost from year 2020 onwards. Age, environmental factors (life style), and genetic predisposition represent the main risk factors for the development of the two major neurological diseases, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. However, the interplay between these individual factors and their contribution to disease development is only scarcely understood.