Current concepts in alzheimer's disease

Like my presentation, this article focuses exclusively on the role of the amyloid ß protein in Alzheimer's Disease. I first provide an overview of the research findings that have made Aß, more specifically Aß42, a compelling therapeutic target for AD that is being pursued by virtually all pharmaceutical companies. I then discuss specific approaches to Aß-centered therapy. It is widely believed that the best way to manage AD will be through preventive therapy. To implement preventive therapy, it is critically important to be able to identify normal subjects who are at imminent risk for AD. In the last part of this article, I review recent evidence indicating that the measurement of Aß40 and Aß42 in plasma may be useful for identifying those normal subjects who will develop AD.