Stanislav Šutovský, Peter Turčáni
Despite enormous effort of scientific teams dealing with Alzheimer‘s disease, the cause of the disease remains unexplained. Current biomedical research is still a long way far from finding the key according based on which our genome communicates with epigenome and environmental factors by initiating a pathological process. Despite of these facts we see the movement in thinking to include all of the three mentioned determinants into the pathogenetical considerations. In our work we present an overview of genome – epigenome interactions, which in concordance with environmental factors probably participate on the pathological process. We draw out several questions, which are still opened and we try to find a possible answers to them in the line with the current state of art. We seek to highlight the importance of apolipoprotein E in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer‘s disease, as a currently best characterized risk factor. We also devote to the epigenetic factors such as methylation of DNA, acetylation of histones and transcription factors, which modify the gene expression. In aging brain there is increased frequency of random errors of DNA, mainly methylation and oxidation. These processes are in extensive amount seen in Alzheimer‘s disease, the question if they are a cause or a consequence of the pathological process remains still opened.