Honors College Theses

Publication Date

11-1-2023

Major

Biology (B.S.B.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Faculty Mentor

Aaron Schrey

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is an increasing global health concern as aging populations continue to expand. Epigenetic mechanisms, specifically DNA methylation, have recently shown evidence of being crucial in the development of this neurodegenerative disorder. This paper examines the potential role of DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease by analyzing its impact on genes associated with the disease and comparing them to two types of genes through CG and GC base pair data. While a significant difference was observed in the overall CG and GC data, no significant differences in methylation patterns were observed between the three gene categories. Though the data did not reach statistical significance, a trend was observed, suggesting that the small sample size might have limited the ability to detect differences. These findings demonstrate the need for further investigation into the potential epigenetic causes of Alzheimer's disease so a greater understanding of its etiology can be utilized.

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