Familial Alzheimer’s Disease Linked to Aluminum Levels in Brain Tissue

Abstract

Familial Alzheimer’s Disease is one form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that is characterized as a genetic mutation that allows the production of clumping Beta-Amyloid proteins in the brain. This causes the early onset of the disease. In the case of fAD, this mutation is being passed genetically from a parent to offspring. There is an increasing pressure in the research field to know more about familial AD as more people are diagnosed through the years. It is estimate that approximately 44 million people are diagnosed with AD worldwide. As our population pyramid is slowly flipping to be top heavy, there is an expected increase in the diagnoses as the flip cycles. Researchers have long hypothesized that a link exists between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer’s Disease, but there has been controversy over the topic for the last 40 years. Newly published research supports this hypothesis but goes on to show that there is a direct, yet complex, relationship between the clusters of the Amyloid-β proteins and deposits of aluminum in the brain tissue. With the new research comes loose ends and connections yet to be found relating to our genes and their influence on toxin retention, ultimately leading to diseases ranging from Autism to Alzheimer’s Disease.