Can a Gene Variant Help Protect from Alzheimer’s?

There is a population of elderly individuals that are known to be at a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but for some reason never do. Many of those individuals in this small section of the population have been identified to have a gene variant that helps to protect them from the disease, according to new research coming out of Brigham Young University.

 

The takeaway from this is that there’s a very specific reason why people who seem like they should develop Alzheimer’s never do. It’s literally in their genes that they do not. Furthermore, the researchers behind this study believe that this gene variant can be targeted with drug therapy to help those that are at high risk of the disease and do not have the variant of that gene to reduce their chances of developing Alzheimer’s. This kind of research is still years away from being conclusive, but it’s an exciting move forward in the battle against Alzheimer’s.

 

The main risk factor of Alzheimer’s is referred to as E4 Allele. In the past, many research studies of this type have looked to gene variants that put people at risk of the disease, but those factors that have helped protect people have largely been ignored. By looking at those who had the E4 Allele factor but who did not develop the disease, researchers were able to identify a variant in the RAB10 gene that seems to help protect people from the disease. The Human Genome sequence was used in comparison to about 20 million medical records made public in the Utah Population Data file.

 

A new discovery has unmasked a gene variant that might help prevent Alzheimer’s in certain people.

 

Much of this information is pointed toward the future, and not that helpful for those of us who are currently living with a loved one that suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. In these cases, senior care can often become a must. When a loved one has Alzheimer’s, helping them to get through each day is a high priority. Ensuring that they have the properly trained supervision and a caring and compassionate caregiver will go very far when it comes to improving their quality of life. And as you know, senior care can come in a variety of different forms. The right one depends on your loved one’s needs and your family’s situation. For example, in-home care may be great if you are currently living in the same place as your mom or dad and just need someone to supervise them while you are at work. For advanced instances of the disease, a nursing home may be necessary. The right decision will be based on your unique situation.

 

This is why we stress that you have a consultation with whichever care service you plan on using before you commit to them. This way, you can go over what your needs are and ensure that your needs will match up with whatever services the caregivers that you are looking at provides. As always, if you have questions about your loved one’s care needs, please get in touch with a medical professional that has experience with their background and their diagnosis.

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