Chapter 1. Alzheimer's is a Multifactorial Disease
Sourav Samanta, Madhu Ramesh, Thimmaiah Govindaraju
Abstract
The multifactorial nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has eluded researchers from developing reliable diagnosis and treatment. Accumulating evidence shows the contribution of various etiopathogenic mechanisms in AD onset and progression. This supports the pathological complexity and multifaceted toxicity in AD. A multipronged perspective and strategies are necessary to understand various individual toxicities and their complex interplay to gain insights on the disease mechanisms in AD. In this chapter, we discuss diverse facets of disease mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis, multifactorial nature, current understanding, and bottlenecks, and propose the need for multifunctional or multipronged strategies to develop effective diagnostic tools and treatment options for AD in the near future.