Bridging Physiology and Pathology in AD

The APP-processing pathway is a pathological component of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but there is no consensus regarding the physiological functions of APP and its products. Two studies (Nikolaev et al., 2009; Lauren et al., 2009) link the physiological and pathological aspects of APP processing. They show that the APP products, N-APP and A beta 42, are ligands for death receptor 6 and cellular prion protein, respectively, which are important in nervous system development and synaptic suppression.