Nature Genetics has published the results of a gene research involving hundreds of thousands of people for Alzheimer’s disease.
In the study, a group of 111,326 people with Alzheimer’s were compared with 677,663 healthy individuals to investigate differences in their genetic makeup.
The study identified 75 genes, 42 of which were previously unknown, associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings showed that TNF-alpha, a protein that plays an important role in inflammation and the immune system, plays a role in Alzheimer’s.
The study also provides further evidence that dysfunction in Microglia, the immune cells responsible for destroying toxic substances in the brain, also contributes to disease progression.
Thanks to the findings, new treatments can be developed by taking a closer look at how the detected genes play a role in the death of brain cells.
Also, genetic testing will help identify people at highest risk of developing Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear.
Professor Julie Williams, Director of the UK’s Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University and co-author of the study, said: “This is a landmark in the field of Alzheimer’s research and the culmination of 30 years of work.” said.
Stating that the research is a big step towards understanding Alzheimer’s, delaying or preventing the disease, Williams said, “Components of our immune system play a big role in the development of the disease. For example, immune cells in the brain known as Microglia are responsible for clearing damaged tissue, but can be less effective in some people, which makes them less effective. It causes the disease to accelerate. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercise and diet also affect the development of Alzheimer’s.” made its assessment.
The study was conducted in 8 countries, including the UK, USA and Australia.
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