ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN SIBLINGS

A family is described in which six of nine siblings survived past early adult life. Of these six, three developed Alzheimer's disease; this was proven by cerebral biopsy in two of the cases. Their mother is considered on clinical grounds to have suffered from the same disease, and their father and maternal grandfather to have suffered from senile dementia. The suggestion is made that a family history of presenile dementia is not uncommon for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Familial cases previously described in general support an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance; the pedigree of this family supports this hypothesis.