title: Role of metal ions in the cognitive decline of Down syndrome.
abstract: Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy of whole or part of chromosome 21 is the most common mental impairment. All people with DS suffer from cognitive decline and develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the age of 40. The appearance of enlarged early endosomes, followed by Amyloid βpeptide deposition, the appearance of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles and basal forebrain cholinergic neuron (BFCN) degeneration are the neuropathological characteristics of this disease. In this review we will examine the role of metal ion dyshomeostasis and the genes which may be involved in these processes, and relate these back to the manifestation of age-dependent cognitive decline in DS.
authors.affiliation: Oxidation Biology Unit, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health Parkville, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Nakisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malakooti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Monash University Clayton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Melanie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.affiliation: Oxidation Biology Unit, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health Parkville, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Adlard
authors.affiliation: Oxidation Biology Unit, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health Parkville, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
keywords: Alzheimer disease; Down syndrome; calcium; copper; iron; zinc