ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT: COMMON MOLECULAR PATHWAYS

Kelly Jordan-Sciutto and Robert Bowser

Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Received 11/9/97 Accepted 11/15/97

4. PERSPECTIVE

Although progress has been gained into the possible genetic causes and treatments of AD, the mechanisms underlying a majority of sporadic AD cases and the cellular mechanisms that propagate the neurodegenerative process remain elusive. The developmentally regulated proteins described in this review are unlikely to be the primary pathologic events. However, the analysis of genes alternatively expressed during AD progression and their function in this process will lead to the discovery of cellular pathways that impact on a variety of processes such as regeneration, proliferation, neural inflammation, and neurodegeneration. Such pathways may help define the necessity of aging for onset of AD and identify cell death mechanisms that are activated in AD. It will be important to understand such mechanisms in order to form effective treatments for AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.