A new study shows that a particular gene variation is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and a delay in the onset of symptoms. The study analyzed the brains of 800 Quebecers and found that a variant of a gene carried by about a quarter of the population is associated with a 50% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s among men, and a 30% lower risk among women.
Among patients who do develop Alzheimer’s, the gene variant is also associated with a delay in the onset of symptoms by up to 4 years.
The gene is called HMG CoA reductase and normally regulates cholesterol production and mobilization in the brain; thus the researchers hope that cholesterol-reducing drugs could help fight Alzheimer’s in patients that don’t carry the mutation.
Original research paper published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry on July 15, 2014.
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