A study was conducted to find a connection between genetic
variants and the ability to remember stories and lists. This study is the first
of its kind.
The researchers had participants who were all free of
dementia take memory tests. The tests consisted of remembering stories and
words after a certain period of time.
The researchers analyzed the results of the tests in
conjunction with individual genome information. They then determined which
genetic variants were linked with lower memory test scores. The results for individuals
who possessed certain genetic variants showed early signs of Alzheimer’s
disease.
The individuals found to have lower scores were found to have variants
near the Apolipoprotein E gene, which is involved in immunity. Some previous
research has shown that a number of forms of Apolipoprotein E are connected to
a higher risk for dementia and related diseases.
The researchers also studied over 700 postmortem brain
tissue samples. After studying the samples, they determined that individuals
with the genetic variants studied in this experiment were more likely to have
signs of Alzheimer’s.
They hope that their discoveries can help scientists
understand the link between genes, immune systems, and memory loss due to age.
This article was interesting to read but not surprising to me. It's clear that our genes affect nearly everything about us, so it always seemed likely that genes would affect memory and aging as well. Hopefully, this helps scientists and clinical professionals better understand the exact sources of problems to either fix them or help improve treatment options for aging patients.
Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/286106.php
Secondary Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265432.php
Research in the memory field always catches my attention since it affects me personally. It is interesting to see that even though we knew that our genes affect memory, there is significant amount of research that still need to be done to effectively improve memory loss and Alzheimer's disease. It shows that our genes is a vast and complex territory.
ReplyDeleteI think this article is extremely interesting, I think to have a genetic variant and be able to test that early on before showing signs of Alzheimer's or dementia can really help scientists in the future, I think more research needs to be done in this field of medicine because memory is an important factor of everyday life.
ReplyDeleteMemory is such a complex area of research, it seems as if there's always something new to learn about it. This research has the ability to find out more about diseases relating to memory, like Alzheimer's. I enjoyed this blog.
ReplyDelete