1. Alzheimer’s Disease Jeff, Luke, and Vivek 1 February 2010 Period 6-07

2. Summary of Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in industrialized nations. Dementia is a brain disorder that interferes with a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease begins with a mild, slowly worsening memory loss. Early warning signs, among others, include difficulty remembering familiar people or things, trouble recognizing recent event or activities, or inability to solve simple arithmetic problems. Alzheimer’s disease affects all races and ethnic groups and it seems to affect women more than men.

3. Chromosomal Location There are two types of Alzheimer’s: early-onset and late- onset. Some cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s called familial Alzheimer’s disease are inherited. FAD is caused by gene mutations on chromosomes 21, 14, and 1. For late-onset Alzheimer’s, a specific chromosome has not been identified. However, there is one risk factor that increases a person’s chance of getting the disease. This risk has to do with the APOE gene found on chromosome 19. APOE contains the instructions needed to make a form of protein.

4. Mode of Inheritance The inheritance pattern of Alzheimer’s is autosomal dominant. Autosomal dominant means that offspring in the same generation have a 50/50 chance of developing Alzheimer’s if their parents had it.