Alzheimer′s disease: the silver tsunami of the 21 st century

Abstract

Alzheimer′s disease (AD), a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder, has no cure to date. One of the causes of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-beta 42 (Aß42) plaques, which result in the onset of neurodegeneration. It is not known how these plaques trigger the onset of neurodegeneration. There are several animal models developed to (i) study etiology of disease, (ii) look for genetic modifiers, and (iii) identify chemical inhibitors that can block neurodegeneration and help to find cure for this disease. An insect model of Drosophila melanogaster has also provided new insights into the disease. Here we will discuss the utility of the Drosophila eye model to study Alzheimer′s disease.

Keywords

• Alzheimer′s disease; neurodegeneration; amyloid plaques; amyloid hypothesis; animal models; drosophila melanogaster; drosophila eye