AD research highlights 2011-2012

In their editorial, Editors-in-Chief Douglas Galasko, Todd Golde and Gordon Wilcock highlight several of the major translational research advances in Alzheimer's disease (AD) that have occurred over the past year.

Survival in an AD cohort

Multiple factors influence survival in a large Alzheimer's disease (AD) cohort and the rate of cognitive decline at the initial patient visit is an important mortality predictor.

Deep brain stimulation in PD

Jerrold Vitek comments on a recent research article addressing how long the benefits of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) can be sustained.

β-amyloid and α-synuclein interaction

Marsh and Blurton-Jones review evidence suggesting β-amyloid (Aβ) and α-synuclein (α-syn) interact synergistically to enhance aggregation and accelerate cognitive decline, and propose potential mechanistic links between Aβ and α-syn pathologies.

LRP1 in amyloid deposition

Reduction in levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP1) in an in vivo mouse model failed to observe a reduction in amyloidosis, questioning its significance as a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.

APP proteolytic system interactions

Hunter and Brayne build a map, modelling relationships between the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its proteolytic fragments with other neuronal systems and discussing alternative perspectives for its role in Alzheimer's disease progression.

FAD: from genotype to phenotype

The molecular consequences of amyloid precursor protein and presenilin gene mutations in familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) are examined by Weggen and Beher; in view of potential therapeutic treatments directed at amyloid-beta peptides.