Amyloid and tau protein abnormalities have been identified as the main causes of Alzheimer's disease but exact mechanisms remain to be revealed. Especially, amyloid beta and tau protein coupling and neuroinflammatory and neurovascular contributions to Alzheimer disease are quite mysterious. Many animal models and basic biological research are trying to solve these puzzles. Known as aging processes, autophagy, mitochondrial degeneration with generation of reactive oxygen species, and age-related epigenetic modifications are also known to be associated with development of Alzheimer's disease. Environmental factors such as bacterial and viral infections, heavy metal ions, diet, sleep, stress, and gut microbiota are also risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Future development of preventive and therapeutic modalities may be dependent on the pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease.
Keywords: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid; Apolipoproteins E; tau Proteins.
© Chonnam Medical Journal, 2021.