Role of Metal Ions in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known as primary dementia, is a complex neurodegenerative disorder, with patients develop neuropsychiatric symptoms of progressive memory impairment, cognitive dysfunction, personality change and language disorders, etc. Due to the complexity of its pathogenesis, it is not really clear what the mechanism related to AD works up to now. The aberrant of metal homeostasis in the brain may be one of the main reasons that induce amyloid β-protein deposition and Tau protein aggregation, and accelerate the development of AD. In this paper, the role of metal ions, such as zinc, copper and iron in AD pathogenesis is overviewed.