As reviewed in the previous chapter above, tryptophan utilization for
serotonin synthesis increases the necessary precursor for the melatoninergic pathways.
The changes and susceptibility factors associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD)
regulate, and can be regulated by, the melatoninergic pathways. In this chapter we look
at the role of the melatoninergic pathways in more detail in relation to changes and
interventions relevant to AD.
Many pharmaceutical and dietary factors, with efficacy in AD and/or AD models,
regulate the melatoninergic pathways, either directly or indirectly. As such, much of
the experimental data pertaining to regulators of the etiology, course and treatment of
AD, such as zinc, selenium, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and valproate, may be
intimately intertwined with the melatoninergic pathways.
In this chapter, we review the role of the melatoninergic pathways in AD, highlighting
its previously little recognised involvement in a host of susceptibility factors and
treatment approaches. More insight as to the relevant changes occurring in AD should
allow treatments to better target relevant biochemical targets, thereby improving the
management of this poorly conceptualized, and therefore poorly treated, disease.
