Rare gene variant contributes to Alzheimer’s disease

 I came across an article from MIT about a rare gene variant that seems to play a big role in Alzheimer’s disease, and it honestly stood out to me because it explains why some people develop the disease even without the usual risk factors.

The senior author, Li-Huei Tsai, is really well known in Alzheimer’s research, and her team showed that this uncommon variant can actually change how brain cells handle stress. People who carry it tend to show earlier signs of trouble in the brain, like protein buildup and shifts in neural activity. It’s wild how a tiny DNA change can make such a big difference.

I like that this shows that even rare gene changes can matter a lot. It also shows that it is possible that one day doctors might use this kind of info to catch the disease earlier or tailor treatments for people who carry these variants.