Sixteen years after the discovery of the APOE4 gene, who’s mutation is the focus of Alzheimer’s research and treatment, two more genes have been pinpointed as implicated in the disease’s development.
Alzheimer’s disease - a degenerative disease, which slowly and progressively destroys brain cells. It is named after Aloïs Alzheimer, a German neurologist, who in 1907 first described the symptoms as well as the neuropathological features of Alzheimer’s disease such as plaques and tangles in the brain .
A UK team discovered that mutations in the CLU and PICALM genes, both known to have protective roles in the brain, increase by 20% the chance of developing Alzheimer’s. They basically turn from protectors into enemies of the brain’s health, even though the studies are still at an initial stage and the links between the genes and the disease are not quite clear yet.
Philippe Amouyel, an epidemiologist at the University of Lille in France and an author of one of the studies, says “that they may be involved in the elimination of the major component of amyloid plaques.” Buildup of these plaques is a major cause of Alzheimer’s.
The results of the study have been associated with the research on another genetic marker of the brain, responsible for the clearance of amyloid plaques. According to Julie Williams, professor of neuropsychological genetics at Cardiff University in Wales, this combination of discoveries forms an important breakthrough in the current impetus to discover the causes of Alzheimer’s disease”.
Today Alzheimer’s figures are increasing world-wide. According to the American 2009 Alzheimer’s report, in the US alone 5.5 million people suffer from this disease, growing at the speed of one new diagnosis every 70 seconds. Alzheimer recently became the 6th cause of death, surpassing diabetes.
In Europe, the estimated number of affected people, according to the Alzheimer Europe web site, is 7.3 million. These figures sets important challenges for all European health care systems, since the oldest old is one of the fastest growing sectors of European societies.
As for any other disease, an early diagnosis is the best way to treat and learn how to live with Alzheimer’s.
