During the last half century, medical developments have expedited an increase of life expectancy all over the world. Owing to this extension of life, some pathological processes that formerly were considered to exhibit low prevalence now have become top priorities for public health programs. Among these pathological processes, cognitive diseases stand out, the two most frequent being Alzheimer'...

CANADIAN GERIATRICS JOURNAL, VOLUME 15, ISSUE 4, DECEMBER 2012 The editorial board of the Canadian Geriatrics Journal would like to present our last collection of articles for 2012, an issue devoted entirely to memory disorders. In this special publication (jointly with the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences), we are pleased to provide the latest recommendations from the fourth Canadian ...

The existence of specific developmental disorders such as dyslexia and autism raises interesting issues about the structure of the normally developing mind. In these disorders distinct cognitive deficits can explain a range of behavioural impairments and have the potential to be linked to specific brain abnormalities. One possibility is that there are specific mechanisms dedicated to particular...

Epigenetic mechanisms are not only essential for biological functions requiring stable molecular changes such as the establishment of cell identity and tissue formation, they also constitute dynamic intracellular processes for translating environmental stimuli into modifications in gene expression. Over the past decade it has become increasingly clear that both aspects of epigenetic mechanisms ...