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Etiology and Pathogenesis of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

  • BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCE (M FRIERI AND PJ BRYCE, SECTION EDITORS)
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Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that occurs in two forms, an early-onset form that is genetically determined and a far more common late-onset form that is not. In both cases, the disease results in severe cognitive dysfunction, among other problems, and the late-onset form of the disease is now considered to be the most common cause of dementia among the elderly. While a good deal of research has been focused on elucidating the etiology of the late-onset form for more than two decades, results to date have been modest and have not yet engendered useful therapeutic strategies for cure of the disease. In this review, we discuss the prevalent ideas that have governed this research for several years, and we challenge these ideas with alternative findings suggesting a multifactorial etiology. We review promising newer ideas that may prove effective as therapeutic interventions for late-onset AD, as well as providing reliable means of earlier and more specific diagnosis of the disease process. In the discussions included here, we reference relevant clinical and basic science literature underlying research into disease etiology and pathogenesis, and we highlight current reviews on the various topics addressed.

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Conflict of Interest

Brian J. Balin and Alan P. Hudson declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

With regard to the authors’ research cited in this paper, all institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. In addition, all procedures were followed in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 and 2008.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Forensic Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 1913, USA

    Brian J. Balin

  2. Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Gordon H Scott Hall, 540 East Canfield Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Alan P. Hudson

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  1. Brian J. Balin
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  2. Alan P. Hudson
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Correspondence to Alan P. Hudson.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Basic and Applied Science

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Balin, B.J., Hudson, A.P. Etiology and Pathogenesis of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 14, 417 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-013-0417-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-013-0417-1

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