Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: The development of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease is hampered by our lack of understanding of the early pathogenic mechanisms and the lack of early biomarkers and risk factors.We have documented the expression pattern of mTOR regulated genes in the frontal cortex of Alzheimer's disease patients. We have also examined the functional integrity of mTOR signaling in peripheral lymphocytes in Alzheimer's disease patients relative to healthy controls. RESULTS: In the brain mTOR is seen to control molecular functions related to cell cycle regulation, cell death and several metabolic pathways. These downstream elements of the mTOR signaling cascade are deregulated in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients well before the development of pathology. This dysregulation of the mTOR downstream signaling cascade is not restricted to the brain but appears to be systemic and can be detected in peripheral lymphocytes as a reduced Rapamycin response. CONCLUSIONS: The dysfunction of the signaling pathways downstream of mTOR may represent a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and is independent of the ApoE status of the patients.We have also identified the molecular substrates of the beneficial effects of Rapamycin on the nervous system. We believe that these results can further inform the development of clinical predictive tests for the risk of Alzheimer's disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Original publication

DOI

10.1186/2051-5960-1-3

Type

Journal article

Journal

Acta Neuropathol Commun

Publication Date

08/05/2013

Volume

1

Keywords

Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Apolipoproteins E, Cell Cycle, Cells, Cultured, Female, Frontal Lobe, Gene Expression, Humans, Lymphocytes, Male, Middle Aged, Protein Kinase Inhibitors, Risk Factors, Signal Transduction, Sirolimus, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases