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Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias

Alzheimer disease is the most common form of severe memory loss or dementia in the elderly. Affecting 5 million people in the United States, this disease destroys the parts of the brain that control thinking, language, and judgement. Numerous studies indicate that individuals with a family history of Alzheimer disease have a greater chance of developing the disease.

There currently is no effective treatment or cure for Alzheimer disease. Researchers at the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (HIHG) have been at the forefront of discovering the genetic causes of Alzheimer disease for over two decades. In 1993, a team led by HIHG Director Margaret A. Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., discovered the first major genetic risk factor for late onset Alzheimer disease. They found that people who inherit a version of the apolipoprotein-E gene (APOE-4) are at significantly increased risk for developing the disease. (Corder et al., 1993).

Frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body dementia are two of the lesser common dementias, also named ‘AD related dementias’. Frontotemporal dementia (5% of all dementias) most prominently causes changes in behavior and language, not memory. Lewy body dementia (5-10% of all dementias) affects both memory and movement coordination. Also, for frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body dementia there is no effective treatment or cure.

The studies conducted by HIHG researchers are focused on finding genetic risk factors associated with developing Alzheimer disease and Related Dementias. Identifying these risk factor can lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatments.