New genetic test can detect warning signs of dementia in young people
- Genetic test may indicate whether healthy young adults will get the disease
- Link between genes, size of brain’s memory and developing the condition
- Discovery means genetic test could be used in future to highlight risk
- Scientists estimate around 850,000 people in the UK have dementia
Rosie Taylor For Mail Online
52
View
comments
Warning signs that young people could develop dementia in later life may be detected by a genetic test.
Researchers have created a genetic risk score which could indicate whether healthy young adults are likely to get the disease.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, found a link between a set of high-risk genes, the size of the hippocampus – the brain’s memory centre – and developing the disease.
Having a smaller hippocampus was linked to a higher risk score, even in young people aged 18 to 35, scientists suggested.
Researchers have created a genetic risk score which could indicate whether healthy young adults are likely to get the devastating condition
The discovery means genetic tests may be used in future to highlight a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Study author Elizabeth C Mormino, of Massachusetts General Hospital, said: ‘The stage of Alzheimer’s before symptoms show up is thought to last over a decade.
‘Given that current clinical trials are testing whether therapies can slow memory and thinking decline among people at risk for the disease, it is critical to understand the influence of risk factors before symptoms are present.’
For the study, researchers assessed 166 people with dementia and 1,026 people without dementia who had an average age of 75.
-
Butter IS bad for you (today’s study claims) Eating a diet…
Could cannabis cure Alzheimer’s? Drug’s active ingredient…
Can a 36-point plan reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s? Doctor…
Student whose angry mother found him ‘smiling’ at home after…
They were given a risk score depending on how many high-risk genes they had and this was analysed alongside markers of Alzheimer’s including memory and thinking decline, clinical progression of the disease and volume of the hippocampus.
They also compared links between the risk score and hippocampus volume in 1,322 healthy young adults.
In older people free from dementia, they found those with a higher genetic risk score also had worse memory and a smaller hippocampus at the start of the study.
Over three years, those who had a higher score also showed signs of memory decline and clinical signs of Alzheimer’s.
By the end of the study, 143 of 332 older people who had shown mild cognitive impairment at the start of the study had developed Alzheimer’s and 15 of 194 older people who were normal had developed either the disease or cognitive impairment.
Within the younger group, a higher risk score was linked to smaller hippocampus volume – which could indicate a risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
Having a smaller hippocampus was linked to a higher risk score, even in young people aged 18 to 35, as the tests may be used in future to highlight the risk of developing Alzheimer’s (stock picture)
Dr Mormino added: ‘Our study was small and larger numbers of participants will need to be studied to confirm our findings.
‘The goal of this type of research is to help physicians better identify those at high risk of dementia so that future preventative treatments may be used as early as possible.’
The results of the small study will now be taken forward to studies with larger numbers of people.
Commenting on the research, Dr Laura Phipps of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘A person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s is down to a complex mix of age, genetic and environmental factors.
‘The genetic risk score used in this study is not able to reliably predict who will develop dementia but the findings raise some interesting areas for future research into how genetic risk factors exert their effect on the brain and make someone more susceptible to Alzheimer’s.
‘Alzheimer’s Research UK is already funding scientists in the UK who are using complex genetic risk scores to advance dementia research.’
She added that while there was nothing people could do to alter their genetic risk, lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, eating a balanced diet, keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check and staying physically and mentally active could all help limit the risks of developing Alzheimer’s.
Around 850,000 people in the UK have dementia, with numbers expected to reach one million by 2025.
Share or comment on this article
-
GRAPHIC: Woman livestreams moments after police shoot…
-
WARNING GRAPHIC: Second video shows Alton Sterling shooting
-
Eric the cockatoo hilariously refuses to eat his broccoli
-
WARNING GRAPHIC: Cops shoot Alton Sterling at point blank…
-
Dad films ‘ghost’ playing on playground swing in Rhode…
-
GOP ad claims to show Hillary Clinton’s top lies about her…
-
Falcon Heights shooting aftermath show cops giving CPR
-
Drive-thru worker throws drink in man’s car after cheeky…
-
Hundreds attend Sprayathon pool party at Long Island mansion
-
Shoppers turn an argument into brawl in Upstate NY Wal-Mart
-
Alton Sterling’s family holds a conference outside City Hall
-
Sickening video of ISIS laughing as ‘screams’ of rape heard
-
Bill O’Reilly shares photos of Barack Obama in traditional…
-
Woman Facebook live-streams her dying boyfriend seconds…
-
Thousands protest over Alton Sterling’s death as new video…
-
At home with Anderson Cooper: CNN anchor shows off his…
-
‘I am insanely lucky to be alive’: Sarah Silverman reveals…
-
Furious owner says his $20m Hamptons mansion was trashed in…
-
Fury at Vanity Fair’s sexist cover article on Australian…
-
The creepiest video you will see today: Dad films playground…
-
‘He didn’t have any last words, his eyes rolled in the back…
-
Would you like a napkin with that? Perfect moment McDonald’s…
-
Fox News host Gretchen Carlson files sexual harassment suit…
-
‘We didn’t have time to do everything we wanted’: Father and…
Comments (52)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now