Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has both genetic and environmental risk factors. Gene-environment interaction may help explain some missing heritability. There is strong evidence for cigarette smoking as a risk factor for AD.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), with most adults developing AD neuropathology in their 40s. Despite having a low frequency of systemic vascular risk factors such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, adults with DS display cerebrovascular pathology, including microbleeds, microinfarcts, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. This suggests that blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity may be compromised allowing the extravasation of blood proteins in the brain parenchyma.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Cardio and cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRFs) increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease and clinical Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and over 70% of the patients with AD coincident cerebrovascular pathology. We previously found that FMNL2 interacts with a burden score of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and body mass index (BMI) by altering the normal astroglial-vascular mechanisms that underly amyloid clearance. Stroke, defined by history of a clinical stroke or brain imaging, is a moderately robust risk factor for AD and dementia.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Blood-based biomarkers may aid in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), but their contribution may be confounded by the presence of multiple chronic conditions and have not been well-tested in community populations. In the current study, we aimed to determine whether blood-based biomarkers can aid in refining a multi-ethnic, urban clinically diagnosed AD community-based cohort.

Method: We included 546 individuals in the Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, and Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP) study in this cross-sectional study.

Clinical Manifestations.

Background: People with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) often have neuropsychiatric symptoms. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a validated tool for assessing the severity of these symptoms, but its applicability in a South African context remains unexamined. This study evaluated NPI-Q, a brief version of the NPI, in relation to cognitive performance and markers of brain atrophy and emotional regulation among older South African adults.