Study Detects a Gene Linked to Alzheimer

A gene variant gene involved in Alzheimer's disease has been detected through study of Dominicans in Manhattan. The families have about three times the usual incidence of Alzheimers, found by Dr. Richard Mayeux of Columbia University in 1994. Dominican families are easier to study from because in the Dominican Republic, the island is a single, long-isolated population in which gene variants are easier to detect. Having screened 6000 people, the researchers found that in four of their groups people with Alzheimer had distinguishable genetic markers in just one of the seven genes, known as SORL1. Patients with the variant forms of genes produce less of that genes protein than usual, stemming to a different pattern and allowing certain proteins in nerve cells known as the amyloid precursors protein to be converted into toxic form. Researchers have not isolated the specific mutation that affects the gene, but they believe it reduces production of the genes protein and does not harm the protein itself. There have been genes related to Alzheimer such as apolipoprotein E. SORL1 is more robustly related with Alzheimer than all the other gene except apoli.E.

It is truly great hearing that there are more genes that are related to Alzheimer being found. The more genes that we are able to detect, the more possibility of drugs and diagnostics test there can be.