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Published on: March 22, 2016
Reimagining Alzheimer's disease--an age-based hypothesis
1Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA. herrup@biology.rutgers.edu
Summary
This study re-examines Alzheimer's disease (AD) origins, proposing a new model focusing on age, initiating injury, neuroinflammation, and cellular changes. Amyloid plaques are correlated but distinct from these core steps in AD progression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is historically linked to amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
- The amyloid cascade hypothesis has guided AD research, yielding significant insights.
- New data necessitates a comprehensive review of AD etiology, moving beyond the traditional amyloid-centric view.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a revised model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) origins.
- To integrate the role of aging and neuroinflammation into AD pathogenesis.
- To re-evaluate the mechanistic relationship between amyloid pathology and AD progression.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical and current data on Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis.
- Conceptual modeling of AD progression from normal aging to clinical manifestation.
- Integration of neuroinflammation and cellular state changes into the AD model.
Main Results:
- A three-step progression model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is proposed: initiating injury, chronic neuroinflammation, and discontinuous cellular change of state.
- Amyloid deposition is reconceptualized as a cycle, correlated with but mechanistically distinct from the core AD progression steps.
- The revised model suggests a new framework for understanding AD etiology.
Conclusions:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression involves more than just amyloid pathology.
- Neuroinflammation and cellular changes are critical, obligatory steps in AD development.
- The proposed model offers implications for refining diagnostic criteria and guiding future research directions in AD.
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