Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of adult-onset progressive degenerative dementia. Dementia is a medical term used to describe a patient whose memory and/or other areas of thinking and behavior have deteriorated to the point that the individual is no longer able to function independently in work or in social situations. An AD diagnosis is based on a history of a typical decline in cognitive abilities, usually with short-term memory loss as an early problem, and is supported by the lack of evidence of other causes of dementia. The diagnosis of definite AD may be made if, in addition to a clinical diagnosis of AD, an age-related number of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are found at the time of autopsy. Approximately 90%-95% of AD patients develop symptoms after age 60 (Late-Onset AD or LOAD).

Our research focuses on the identification and evaluation of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer disease and the interactions of these risk factors with environmental influences. Our hypothesis is that genetic risk factors are critical to the development of AD in a patient. These genetic risk factors then interact with each other and with environmental factors (examples of possible environmental factors include diet and smoking) to trigger the development of the disease and to determine how fast the disease progresses. Identification of these genetic risk factors is the first step towards earlier detection, prevention and, in the future, better treatments for AD.