42 previously unknown genes discovered for Alzheimer's disease
In the biggest study of Alzheimer's disease genetic risk to date, researchers discovered an additional 42 genes linked to the disease's development. The study has been going on for 30 years now, as said by co-author Julie Williams, center director at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University. She also added that s moking, exercise, and diet are all factors that impact the development of Alzheimer's disease, and taking steps to address them now is a good strategy to reduce our risk. However, Williams also said " 60-80% of disease risk is based on our genetics and therefore we must continue to seek out the biological causes and develop much-needed treatments for the millions of people affected worldwide." Apart from the well-known APOE e4 gene and the production of amyloid-beta and tau, two signature proteins that pile up in the brain with disastrous consequences as Alzheimer's progress, the previously unknown genes suggest new pathways for diseas...