Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract EN

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is the only top 10 cause of death in the United States that lacks disease-altering treatments.

It is a complex disorder with environmental and genetic components.

There are two major types of Alzheimer’s disease, early onset and the more common late onset.

The genetics of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease are largely understood with variants in three different genes leading to disease.

In contrast, while several common alleles associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, including APOE, have been identified using association studies, the genetics of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease are not fully understood.

Here we review the known genetics of early- and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.