Skip to main content

Gene variant makes some brains more resilient to Alzheimer's

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

Analysis of 700 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative has revealed a genetic mutation (rs4728029) that’s associated with people who develop Alzheimer’s pathology but don’t show clinical symptoms in their lifetime. The gene appears to be related to an inflammatory response in the presence of phosphorylated tau. In other words, some people’s brains react to phosphorylated tau with a ‘bad’ inflammatory response, while others don’t.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-05/vumc-vs050214.php

Hohman, T. J., Koran, M. E. I., Thornton-Wells, T. A., & Initiative, for the A. D. N. (2014). Genetic modification of the relationship between phosphorylated tau and neurodegeneration. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Retrieved from http://www.alzheimersanddementia.com/article/S1552-5260(14)00013-2/abstract (Original work published 2014)

Problems
Research
inflammation alzheimers
alzheimers genes
Alzheimer's Disease
risk factors
genes
seniors

Related News

Better hygiene in wealthy nations may increase Alzheimer's risk

A comparison of Alzheimer’s prevalence across the world using 'age-standardized' data (which predict Alzheimer's rates if all countries had the same population birth rate, life expectancy and age structure) has found a strong correlation between national sanitation levels and Alzheimer's, with better hygiene associated with higher rates of Alzheimer’s.

Impaired waste management in the brain a cause of Alzheimer's?

Aging linked to impaired garbage collection in the brain

A mouse study has shown that, as cells age, their ability to remove damaged proteins and structures declines.

The process of waste management, called autophagy, involves a component within the cell (an autophagosome) engulfing misfolded proteins or damaged structures (putting them in a garbage bag, essentially). The autophagosome then fuses with a second cellular structure, called a lysosome, that contains the enzymes needed to breakdown the garbage, allowing the components to be recycled and reused.

Impaired recovery from inflammation linked to Alzheimer's

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

Analyses of cerebrospinal fluid from 15 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 21 control subjects, plus brain tissue from some of them, has found that those with Alzheimer’s had lower levels of a particular molecule involved in resolving inflammation. These ‘specialized pro-resolving mediators’ regulate the tidying up of the damage done by inflammation and the release of growth factors that stimulate tissue repair. Lower levels of these molecules also correlated with a lower degree of cognitive function.

Inflamed iron-containing cells found in Alzheimer's brains

A post-mortem study of five Alzheimer's and five control brains has revealed the presence of iron-containing microglia in the subiculum of the Alzheimer's brains only. The subiculum lies within the hippocampus, a vital memory region affected early in Alzheimer's. None of the brains of those not diagnosed with Alzheimer's had the iron deposits or the microglia, in that brain region, while four of the five Alzheimer's brains contained the iron-containing microglia.

Blocking inflammation receptor helps Alzheimer's mice

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

Blocking a receptor involved in inflammation in the brains of mice with severe Alzheimer’s produced marked recovery in blood flow and vascular reactivity, a dramatic reduction in toxic amyloid-beta, and significant improvements in learning and memory.

The receptor was the bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R), and the finding confirms a role of B1R, and neuroinflammation, in the development of Alzheimer’s. It also points to a new target for therapy.

Alzheimer's disease consists of 3 distinct subtypes

A two-year study which involved metabolic testing of 50 people, suggests that Alzheimer's disease consists of three distinct subtypes, each one of which may need to be treated differently. The finding may help explain why it has been so hard to find effective treatments for the disease.

The subtypes are: