Linking atherosclerosis to Alzheimer's disease: focus on biomarkers.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with an important vascular component, ultimately resulting in dementia. Recent years have witnessed an enormous interest in the field of biomarkers in medicine both in the field of atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration. Numerous studies have recently reported altered levels of biomarkers of atherosclerotic vascular disease in patients with AD. This review provides an overview of clinical studies assessing biomarkers of atherosclerosis/vascular disease in the serum/plasma of patients with AD and highlights future directions in the field. The study of specific biomarkers of atherosclerosis in AD can contribute to identify different components of the pathophysiology and the complex mechanisms underlying the progression of the disease.