Individuals with Down syndrome are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and it typically presents it at an earlier age than the general population. It is estimated that 90% of people with Down syndrome will have developed Alzheimer’s by age 65.
Alzheimer’s disease
Sigan Hartley, PhD – Slide of the Week
People with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because of their unique biology and provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop biomarkers of preclinical AD.
Barbara Bendlin, PhD – Slide of the Week
Insulin resistance (IR) has been related to reduced cerebral glucose metabolism in regions identified as hypometabolic in Alzheimer’s clinical syndrome. Insulin secretion (IS) has been less studied than IR despite findings that decreased IS is an early indicator of future type 2 diabetes and a potential predictor of Alzheimer’s clinical syndrome.
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Studying the connection between Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome for Down syndrome awareness month
By Emily Leclerc, Waisman Science Writer The month of October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and is dedicated to not only raising awareness about Down syndrome but also to celebrating the abilities and accomplishments of …
Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD – Slide of the Week
Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21) is characterized by intellectual impairment at birth and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology in middle age. As individuals with DS age, their cognitive functions decline as they develop AD pathology.
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A new study from the lab of UW-Madison professor of medicine Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, opens a door to potential treatments for diseases of age, such as Alzheimer’s disease, by defining the roles of two enzymes that are imperative to protein production.
Sigan Hartley, PhD – Slide of the Week
There is a critical need to identify measures of cognitive functioning sensitive to early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology in Down syndrome to advance clinical trial research in this at-risk population. The objective of the study was to longitudinally track performance on cognitive measures in relation to neocortical and striatal amyloid beta (Aβ) in non-demented Down syndrome.
Bradley T Christian, PhD – Slide of the Week
Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and a characterization of glucose metabolism change throughout AD progression has yet to be performed in this population. Using FDG PET, regional glucose metabolism was evaluated across groups of cognitively stable DS (CS-DS), DS with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease (MCI-DS/AD), and healthy non-DS sibling controls.