Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurological disorder of uncertain aetiology, although substantial research has been conducted to explore important factors related to risk of onset and progression. Both lifestyle (e.g., complex mental stimulation, vascular health) and genetic factors (e.g., APOE, BDNF, PICALM, CLU, APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, and other genes) have been associated with AD risk. Despite more than thirty years of genetic research, much of the heritability of AD is not explained by measured loci. This suggests that the missing heritability of AD might be potentially related to rare variants, gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, and potentially epigenetic modulators. Moreover, while ageing is the most substantial factor risk for AD, there are limited longitudinal studies examining the association of genetic factors with decline in cognitive function due to ageing and the preclinical stages of this condition. This review summarises findings from currently available research on the genetic factors of ageing-related cognitive change and AD and suggests some future research directions.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	APOE, Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, cognitive function, genetics, PRS. polygenic risk score
Research Division:	Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:	Neurosciences
Research Field:	Neurology and neuromuscular diseases
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions
UTAS Author:	Pan, G (Mr Gongbu Pan)
UTAS Author:	King, A (Professor Anna King)
UTAS Author:	Wu, F (Dr Feitong Wu)
UTAS Author:	Simpson-Yap, S (Dr Steve Simpson JR)
UTAS Author:	Woodhouse, A (Dr Adele Woodhouse)
UTAS Author:	Vickers, JC (Professor James Vickers)
ID Code:	146741
Year Published:	2021
Web of Science® Times Cited:	2
Deposited By:	Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre
Deposited On:	2021-09-23
Last Modified:	2021-10-18
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