A Survey of Genetic Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

This paper surveys a number of discovered genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). AD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline. AD is distinguished by large depositions of amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein, known as plaques, in areas of the brain. No single gene has been identified to cause Alzheimer’s, but several risk factors have been identified. Genetic variants associated with the accumulation of Aβ that have been identified as genetic risk factors for AD include APOE-2, APOE-3, APOE-4, APP, PSEN 1, and PSEN 2. This paper discusses these risk factors, their prevalence, how their connection to AD was discovered, and their level of risk.