[Progress in neuropathology changes the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases].
Improvement of the analytical methods and routine use of immunohistochemistry have demonstrated that most neurodegenerative diseases, known to-day, are characterized by the accumulation of one or several specific proteins for example Abeta peptide and Tau protein in Alzheimer disease, alpha-synuclein in Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, TDP-43 in a large group of fronto-temporal dementia. In the case of Alzheimer and Lewy body disease, recent data suggest that misfolding of Abeta peptide, of Tau protein or of alpha-synuclein may propagate to the normal protein of the host in a way that reminds the propagation observed in prion diseases.