Neuropathology: Advances in Neurodegenerative and Neuro-oncological Disease

This chapter provides a current and critical overview of developments in neuropathology, spanning both neurodegenerative conditions and primary brain tumors, in light of major revisions to established classification frameworks. It reviews the neuropathological underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and related proteinopathies, with an emphasis on emerging biomarker-based staging systems and the growing role of fluid and imaging biomarkers in antemortem pathological diagnosis. The chapter also addresses the significant reclassification of gliomas and other central nervous system tumors in the 2021 WHO classification, focusing on the integration of molecular parameters — including IDH mutation status, TERT promoter mutations, and methylation profiling — into diagnostic neuropathological practice.