Scientists Discover 2 More Genes Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

The fight to find a cure for Alzheimer’s continues. Researchers have now uncovered two more genes that are linked with the memory robbing disease that affects more than 25 million people around the world. This number means that 1 in every 5 people will most likely develop the debilitating disease. Alzheimer’s generally affects those over the age of 65, but symptoms may be detected much earlier.

These two newly identified genes make a total of nine that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. With each new discovery, scientists are one step closer to curing or preventing the disease. Scientists will now be able to study these specific genes and how or why they cause a person to develop Alzheimer’s. Although these potential cures are probably another 10 years down the road, scientists are hopeful.

Lead author of the study Sudha Seshadri of the Boston University School of Medicine combined current and previous research. US and European researcher combined their data to create the largest sample of data ever used in this type of study. Researchers evaluated data from 35,000 people. Over 8,000 of those 35,000 developed Alzheimer’s. The National Institute of Aging provided funding for this enormous project.

The vast amount of data available made it possible for researchers to narrow down specific genes in those who had developed the disease. Previous studies were too small and lacking crucial information researchers needed to pinpoint the genes. This recent information has been published in the May 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.