Why You Might Be At Risk For Alzheimer's

In recent studies, it has been discovered that if your father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it's possible that he can pass it down to you. This is due to the greater spread of tau proteins in their brains, when they develop Alzheimer's. Up to now, it's always been believed, that the risk of Alzheimer's being passed down, was based on the mothers, we learn now, that this isn't the case. Women, however are still more at risk than men are of developing Alzheimer's, because they tend to have a heavier build-up of tau in their brains, making them more susceptible. According to HealthDay, it's also likely that more women develop Alzheimer's than men because, on average, they tend to live longer.

When reading this article, I found it interesting that Fathers are able to pass Alzheimer's disease down, because, I was only aware that mothers could pass it down. Even on TV shows, we only ever see mothers developing the disease. I feel like, now knowing it's possible for our fathers to pass the disease down, it shines a new light on this devastating disease. 

The Father Factor in Alzheimer's

Reporter Dennis Thompson recently posted an article on the U.S. News and World Report regarding a recent development in the transmission of Alzheimer’s from one generation to another. Alzheimer’s Disease is well known for being carried by the mother, who could possibly pass down the gene to her offspring. However, it is now claimed that one’s father having the disease may impact the child’s inheritance of it, which is something we have never heard of before. 

According to the article, fathers who experience a more significant number of tau proteins in their brains could also put their future offspring at higher genetic risk for tau proteins in their brains, which will eventually lead to more significant cognitive depreciation. Tau proteins are essential to neural pathways and provide neuron stability; however, in individuals with Alzheimer’s, these proteins clump together and form tau tangles. According to this article, previous studies led us to believe women were more susceptible to large amounts of tau accumulation in the brain, which may be true; however, these proteins are technically not accrued until a later stage in the disease, as opposed to men. Overall, children of fathers who have significant tau proteins in the brain will have a greater likelihood of developing the disease. In the case of Alzheimer’s Disease, both maternal and paternal effect plays into offspring inheritance, further disapproving research that previously stated otherwise. 

I find it fascinating that in all these years of believing that mothers were the drivers of the disease, fathers do play a role in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. This just goes to show more research will produce more results and further explanations of things understood and accepted years ago. As someone who has a family friend with Alzheimer's, this article sparked a curiousity in me to learn more about the disease and grasp a better understanding, and I believe this article played a part in that.