Alzheimer’s Disease (Theme D)

Question 1

What is the greatest risk factor for AD?

Answer 1

Age

Question 2

What is the 2nd greatest risk factor for AD?

Answer 2

Positive family history

Question 3

What is the pathophysiology of AD?

Answer 3

Formation of:
Extracellular beta-amyloid plaques
Intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (made of tau protein, ‘flame-shaped’)

Question 4

Increased expression (gene duplication) of which gene is associated with AD?

Answer 4

APP (amyloid precursor protein)

Question 5

What is a major genetic risk factor for AD?

Answer 5

Inheritance of the apolipoprotein E4 allele (hChr19)

Question 6

What is AD characterised by?

Answer 6

Insidious loss of memory, orientation reasoning & other cognitive functions

Question 7

AD involves cortical atrophy with prominent changes in which brain regions?

Answer 7

Hippocampus
Entorhinal cortex
Amygdala
Cerebral Association cortices
Selected subcortical nuclei

Question 8

What is the hypothesis widely accepted & used in of AD research?

Answer 8

Amyloid cascade hypothesis