flow to the brain; free radicals can damage nerve cells, so vitamin E, a strong antioxidant, may be beneficial to Alzheimer's patients (Robinson, 1999). Several genes have also been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, including the gene for the amyloid precursor protein responsible for producing amyloid (Robinson, 1999). The most important genetic link to Alzheimer's disease found so far is on chromosome 19. It is a gene coding for the protein ApoE, which comes in at least three forms: ApoE2, ApoE3 and ApoE4. One ApoE is inherited from each parent, and people with at least one ApoE4 are three times more likely to develop late-onset Alzheimer's disease, while those with two copies are four times more likely to do so. However, not everyone with ApoE4 develops Alzheimer's disease and some people without it do, so the exact nature of the link is still unknown. Early-onset Alzheimer's disease is caused by a defect in a gene for the protein presenilin. Other genetic mutations have also been linked to the early-onset form of Alzheimer's disease. Other risk factors for developing Alzheimer's disease include a family history of Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome and Parkinson's disease. Those who have suffered head trauma, or who have hypothyroidism may develop it sooner.
Neurologically, there is a loss of nerve cells in parts of the brain responsible for memory and other mental abilities, and lower levels of neurotransmitters, w
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