BACE1 and Alzheimer disease: A number of studies highlight that hypoxia, through the mediation of HIF-1α, leads to an increase in BACE1 expression and contributes to elevated Aβ production which is considered the driving force of AD according to the amyloid hypothesis, the most accepted theory for AD pathogenesis (Zhang et al., 2007; Guglielmotto et al., 2009).