Genetic variants associated with Alzheimer’s found
POSTED September 7, 2009 - 13:14 | POSTED BY Jaspreet Kaur
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on September 7, 2009 - 13:53
The three genetic variants found by the scientists account for around 20 percent of the genetic risks posed by Alzheimer’s. These could be really beneficial in getting a better insight about the biology of the disease.
Details of the two studies
The first research team, headed by Julie Williams from the Cardiff University in Wales, examined the genomes of around 19,000 patients. This has been by far the largest study conducted on the disease.
The results showed two genetic variants that have a notable link with Alzheimer’s.
The other study, directed by Philippe Amouyel from the University of Lille in France, also discovered two variants associated with the disease. One of these was the same as that identified by the research team from Cardiff.
The notable fact is that the two studies are in agreement on one gene at least.
The latest three genetic variants have been found by involving very huge number of patients and using the latest technique called genome-wide association study. It utilizes devices that scan the patient’s DNA and are programmed to identify half a million variation sites along the genome.
In the past, various small-scale studies have put forward about 550 genes as the reason behind Alzheimer’s.
Role of inflammation
One of the genetic variant that has been found is present in a gene that is functional at the junctions between brain cells called synapses. The other two help to tone down the inflammation in the brain.
Inflammation is a well-known characteristic of Alzheimer’s but is normally mistaken to be a result of it. According to Dr. Williams, discovery of the new variants suggests that inflammation may have a key role to play in the development of the disease.
Alzheimer’s – the disease of the elderly
Alzheimer’s is basically a degenerative and an incurable disease that is a very common form of dementia. The most prevalent symptom of this disease is memory loss. But when the disease reaches an advanced stage, the person also suffers from perplexity, bad temper, violent behavior, mood swings and even language breakdown.
So far, there is no cure for the disease. The only preventive measures that can be taken are exercise, mental stimulation and eating a healthy balanced diet.
The two studies have been published in the journal ‘Nature Genetics’.
