Genes And Alzheimer's Disease Summary

Milunsky, Aubrey. "Genes and Alzheimer's Disease." Your Genetic Destiny: Know Your Genes, Secure Your Health, and save Your Life. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub., 2001. 259-70. Print.

The author Aubrey Milunsky is the founder and Co-Director of Center of Human Genetics, Inc. He worked as a medical geneticist at the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital for thirteen years, then became a Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine. Milunsky wrote this book to help guide his readers through the new and confusing information about the use of the “new genetics” in securing one’s life and health. The most common identified five major genes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease were

Guathier researches etiology and treatment in Alzheimer’s disease and other related diagnosis. Guathier describes in his article that Alzheimer’s that some major factor include ApoE4 genotype, autosomal dominant mutation carrier, vascular risk factors, and age. Guatheir also states that even with medication such as donepezil it cannot stop the progression of this disease, since extensive brain damage has already occurred. In contrast to other sources Guathier states some prevention strategies for Alzheimers Disesase such as anti- that Alzheimer’s is characterized by an accumulation of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuronal

Paulson is the Lucile Groff Professor Neurology for Alzheimer’s Disease and is in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. Paulson earned his MD and PhD from Yale University and after he continued his passion with neurology and completed his residence at University of Pennsylvania. Paulson’s theory suggests that genetic factors play an important role in Alzheimer’s and he discusses the specific genes that with mutation could led to onset Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s diseases is often caused by mutation in specific genes. The amyloid protein gene is usually discovered first, it encodes the neuronal membrane, and β-amyloid is released, and creates two proteases, β-secretase and gamma-secretase. Presenilins 1 and 2 are a key component of the gamma-secretase. The amyloid protein gene and presenilin 2 mutations are not very common compared to presenilin 1 which mutations are more common. ApoE is the most important genetic risk factor of late onset Alzheimer’s disease. ApoE is a genetic risk factor not a gene that causes the disease through the mutation. People who have the allele sometimes don’t even develop Alzheimer’s and some people do. In this source Paulson discuss the role of genes that cause Alzheimer’s disease and any type of genetic factors in the most common