Significant insights into the funct

Significant insights into the function of genes associated with Alzheimer disease and related
dementias have occurred through studying genetically modified animals. Although none of
the existing models fully reproduces the complete spectrum of this insidious human disease,
critical aspects of Alzheimer pathology and disease processes can be experimentally
recapitulated. Genetically modified animal models have helped advance our understanding
of the underlying mechanisms of disease and have proven to be invaluable in the preclinical
evaluation of potential therapeutic interventions. Continuing refinement and evolution to
yield the next generation of animal models will facilitate successes in producing greater
translational concordance between preclinical studies and human clinical trials and eventually
lead to the introduction of novel therapies into clinical practice.