Neuroinflammation in the aging down syndrome brain; Lessons from Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is the most genetic cause of mental retardation and is caused by the triplication of chromosome 21. In addition to the disabilities caused early in life, DS is also noted as causing Alzheimers-disease-like pathological changes in the brain, leading to 5070 of DS patients showing dementia by 6070 years of age. Inflammation is a complex process that has a key role to play in the pathogenesis of Alzheimers disease. There is relatively little understood about inflammation in the DS brain and how the genetics of DS may alter this inflammatory response and change the course of disease in the DS brain. The goal of this review is to highlight our current understanding of inflammation in Alzheimers disease and predict how inflammation may affect the pathology of the DS brain based on this information and the known genetic changes that occur due to triplication of chromosome 21. Copyright © 2012 Donna M. Wilcock.