Alzheimer’s Disease Progression Different in Patients With Down Syndrome

A study recently conducted by researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging revealed differences in the way brain inflammation — a key contributing factor to Alzheimer’s disease — is expressed in different subsets of patients, particularly in people with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome have a third copy of Chromosome 21, which is the same chromosome responsible for the production of a molecule called amyloid precursor protein. Amyloid over-production can lead to brain plaques that are a prime feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, close to 100 percent of people with Down syndrome also develop Alzheimer’s disease pathology in their brain by the time they are 40-years-old. “People develop Alzheimer’s disease at different ages, but it’s typically in their 60s, 70s, or 80s,” said a lead researcher of the study. “It’s a little easier to study Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome because of the predictability of the age when adults with DS develop signs of the disease.” During the study, the research team found the patients with Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome had a very different neuro-inflammatory profile compared to those who had Alzheimer’s disease, but not Down syndrome. The results of the study have important implications for Alzheimer’s disease treatments, as some treatments may or may not be effective for people with Down syndrome. To read more about this study, click here.