Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders

Wells, Jennie L., BSc, MSc, MD, FACP, FRCPC, CCRP*,†; Pasternak, Stephen H., MD, PhD, FRCPC†,‡,§

Early onset Alzheimer disease (EOAD) is a neurodegenerative dementing disorder that is relatively rare (<1% of all Alzheimer cases). Various genetic mutations of the presenilin 1 (PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PSEN2) as well as the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene have been implicated. Mutations of PSEN1 and PSEN2 alter γ-secretase enzyme that cleaves APP resulting in increase in the relative amount of the more amyloidogenic Aβ42 that is produced.1

PSEN2 has been less studied than PSEN1 and fewer mutations are known. Here, we report a case of a 63-year-old woman (at the time of death) with the clinical history consistent with Alzheimer D, an autopsy with brain histopathology supporting Alzheimer disease (AD), congophylic angiopathy, and Lewy Body pathology, and whose medical…

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