A 80-year-old woman is brought by her daughter due to progressive forgetfulness over the past few years. She often forgets the way home and cannot remember the right words. She also has problem in multi-tasking. Lately she has trouble doing activities of daily living and has also developed agnosia, aphasia and anomia but gait of the patient is normal. Which of the following structures would be most likely atrophied in this patient and the gene affected: -
High-Yield Explanation
This patient most likely has Alzheimer's disease. In advanced disease atrophy is most pronounced in temporoparietal lobes and hippocampus. Several genes play an impoant role in the pathogenesis of AD. One is the APP gene on chromosome 21. Presenilin-1 (PSEN-1) is on chromosome 14. Presenilin-2 The Apo e4 allele confers increased risk of AD in the general population.