The age factor in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, and it is characterized by a decline in memory or other thinking skills. The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is advanced age. A recent genome-wide study identified a locus on chromosome 17 associated with the age at onset, and a specific variant in CCL11 is probably responsible for the association. The association of a protective haplotype with a 10-year delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease and the identification of a CCL11 variant with possible functional roles in this association might allow the future development of immunomodulators with the potential to halve disease incidence.
Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 1 Wakefield Street, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK. r.guerreiro@ucl.ac.uk.
Rita
R
Guerreiro
Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 1 Wakefield Street, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK.
Jose
J
Bras
D000367:Age Factors; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans