Alzheimer’s Study Reveals 42 Genes Linked to Increased Risk for Brain Disease [Full Details]

In a historic moment for science, researchers discovered an additional 42 genes linked to increased risk for brain disease, more specifically, Alzheimer's, in the largest genetic study of the condition to date.

In a statement, the center director at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University, Julie Williams, who is also a co-author of the study, said that the research was a hallmark study in the field of Alzheimer's observation. She also noted that it was the culmination of 30 years of work by professionals.

Alzheimer's Disease Risk

She added that lifestyle factors, including smoking, exercise, and diet, influence a person's development of Alzheimer's. Williams said acting to address these factors now would help in reducing the risk of brain disease in the future.

However, Williams said that 60% to 80% of disease risk was based on the human population's genetics. This means that it is crucial to continue to seek out biological causes and develop much-needed treatments for the millions of people affected worldwide.

Previously, there were various unknown genes that pointed to additional pathways for disease progression to occur besides the well-known APOE e4 gene or the development of amyloid-beta and tau, which are two hallmark proteins that build up in a person's brain that could result in Alzheimer's, as per CNN.

The study included monitoring the genomes of 100,000 people who had Alzheimer's and 600,000 healthy individuals. The research results suggest that degeneration in the brains of dementia patients could only be spurred on by "over-aggressive" activity in the brain's immune cells, called microglia.

Williams said that the results of the observations were a big clue in figuring out what was going wrong in patients suffering from Alzheimer's. She noted that experts were not even working on people's immune systems roughly a decade ago. The study's co-author said that genetics has helped professionals refocus their efforts.

New Genes

According to The Guardian, researchers are using the study to devise a genetic risk score that would predict whether patients suffering from specific cognitive impairments would develop Alzheimer's within three years of showing symptoms. While the score is not currently intended for clinical use, it could be advantageous when recruiting people for clinical trials.

A senior research fellow at Cardiff University and UK Dementia Research Institute, Dr. Rebecca Sims, a co-investigator and co-leader of the study, noted that the research more than doubles the number of identified genes believed to influence the risk for Alzheimer's.

The professional said that the results of the study provide new targets for scientists for therapeutic intervention. Sims added that it also helps advance humans' ability to develop algorithms that predict Alzheimer's development in later life.

The study, which was published in the journal Nature Genetics, suggests that Alzheimer's disease is "an extremely complex condition," with Williams noting it has "multiple triggers, biological pathways, and cell types" involved in its development. She added that components of a person's immune system played a large role in developing the disease, Indiana Express reported.