FIGURE 1.

The proposed effect of ABCA7 on AD pathogenesis. Trajectories of change in the ABCA7 level and in the rate of production of the neurodegenerative lipid with age. The amount of the neurodegenerative lipid produced in the vulnerable tissue of the entorhinal region increases with age, whereas ABCA7 levels naturally decline and are subject to genetic effects from common and rare alleles. In young individuals with high ABCA7 levels, the neurodegenerative lipid generated during normal functioning is rapidly removed by ABCA7. However, when ABCA7 is insufficient to remove the lipid, the latter accumulates in the plasma membrane and other cell membrane and triggers AD pathogenesis