The present disclosure is directed to methods of diagnosing a neurodegenerative condition, such as Alzheimer's disease, comprising contacting a cell sample from a subject with at least one stimulus, such as a protein and/or polysaccharide mixture, a protein kinase C activator, an Αβ oligomer, an agent, and combinations thereof; and detecting the expression of at least one gene in the cell sample. Methods may further comprise comparing the expression of the at least one gene in the cell sample to the expression of the same at least one gene in control cells; and determining whether the subject has the neurodegenerative condition (e.g., Alzheimer's disease), wherein a change in the expression of the at least one gene in the cell sample compared to the expression of the same at least one gene in the control cells indicates the subject has the neurodegenerative condition (e.g., Alzheimer's disease).