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Minerva Psichiatrica 2006 March;47(1):35-58

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Genetic aspects of Alzheimer’s disease: state of the art and research

Serretti A. ¹, Calati R. ¹, Artioli P. ¹, De Ronchi D. ²

¹ Dipartimento di Psichiatria Facoltà di Medicina Università degli Studi Vita-Salute Fondazione Centro San Raffaele del Monte Tabor, Milano 2 Dipartimento di Psichiatria P. Ottonello Alma Mater Studiorum Università degli Studi di Bologna, Bologna

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major world health problem and it is the major cause of dementia in the elderly. It is characterized by a progressive deterioration in memory, cognitive and behavioral aspects. A number of different genes are possibly involved in AD: 4 were confirmed in several studies, while at least 50 additional genes were tested with contrasting results. The final aim of genetic studies is the identification of the genes involved in AD, to understand the biological mechanism of this disease and, consequently, to develop appropriate treatments. The aim of this review is to explore the genetic characteristics of AD, from a detailed etiologic hypothesis about the disease to the suggestion of possible involved genes, and underline the need of further studies.