Critical Review of the Alzheimer's Disease Non-Transgenic Models: Can They Contribute to Disease Treatment?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing neurodegenerative disease without effective treatments or therapies. Despite the use of different approaches and an extensive variety of genetic amyloid based models, therapeutic strategies remain elusive. AD is characterized by three main pathological hallmarks that include amyloid-β plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammatory processes; however, many other pathological mechanisms have been described in the literature. Nonetheless, the study of the disease and the screening of potential therapies is heavily weighted toward the study of amyloid-β transgenic models. Non-transgenic models may aid in the study of complex pathological states and provide a suitable complementary alternative to evaluating therapeutic biomedical and intervention strategies. In this review, we evaluate the literature on non-transgenic alternatives, focusing on the use of these models for testing therapeutic strategies, and assess their contribution to understanding AD. This review aims to underscore the need for a shift in preclinical research on intervention strategies for AD from amyloid-based to alternative, complementary non-amyloid approaches.

Apolipoprotein ɛ4 Affects Multiple Domains of Neuropsychological Functioning in a Sample of Elderly Hispanics

Apolipoprotein ɛ4 allele (APOEɛ4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), but inconsistencies have arisen in studies with Hispanics. The objective of this study was to explore APOEɛ4 expression and cognitive function in a sample of Panamanian older adults, including healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment, and AD. Participants with at least one copy of APOEɛ4 had a significantly lower performance in global cognition, verbal memory, executive functions, visuospatial abilities, regardless of diagnosis. The present study contributes to the understanding of the association of APOEɛ4 and impairment in specific cognitive domains in elderly Hispanics.