Navigating Genetic Influences on the Topography of Alzheimer ’s Disease

In this issue of Biological Psychiatry, Wachinger et  al. (1) describe the results of a combined genetic and imaging study of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Individually, both genetic discoveries and noninvasive brain imaging have been instrumental in shaping contemporary views of the biological underpinnings of AD. The first major genetic breakthroughs came in the 1990s with the identification of the three genes (APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2) that cause AD on an autosomal dominant basis. Discovery of these genes, which influence amyloid-β (Aβ) processing, led to the development of the “amyloid cascade hypothesis,” which suggests that the accumulat ion of toxic forms of Aβ is an upstream and key initiating factor of the disease (2).

Source: Biological Psychiatry - September 1, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Thomas D. Parker, Jonathan M. Schott Tags: Commentary Source Type: research