Researchers: New Genetic Risk Factor Found for Alzheimer's

A new genetic risk factor has been found for Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

In a 10-year study following more than 300 first-degree relatives of 189 Alzheimer's patients, researchers identified a small area of chromosome 10 that, when combined with the APOE E4 gene, may significantly increase a person's risk of developing the disease.

This genetic combination produced a 16-fold increase in the risk of first-degree relatives developing Alzheimer's. The results of the study are supported by independent research and controls from Pittsburgh, Boston and Bonn, Germany, according to the study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Researchers studied normal people aged 40 to 75 who were first-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer's. They were given standard memory evaluations to make sure there was no cognitive memory decline at the beginning of the study, and blood samples were taken to identify genetic and biochemical risk factors for Alzheimer's.

After 11.5 years, 18 people developed Alzheimer's. The rest of the group is still under observation for future studies on new risk factors for the disease, the researchers said.

Researchers are hopeful that their findings will provide new molecular targets for drug development for those targeted for being at high risk of Alzheimer's.

Other sources: Molecular Psychiatry