Genetic code puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease identified

A genetic risk factor that contributes to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered by researchers from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The team screened the patient’s DNA (genetic materials) for the presence of abnormal genes. Then the patient’s brain neural networks were scanned by using an advanced scan technology to detect brain impairment.   

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the debilitating psychiatric problems in elderly people. Gradual erosion of brain’s neural network results in impaired thinking, emotions and memory loss – the cardinal symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. As of now, there is no therapeutic cure for Alzheimer’s disease that left 20 million patients, worldwide.

Every person in the world is prone to risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and two-fold risk in elderly people over 65 years old.

Changes in the genetic code that leads to Alzheimer’s disease have been identified, said Dr. Paul Thomas, Professor of Neurology, UCLA. Presence of such genetic codes can predispose the disease and gets worsen upon aging-related problems such as dementia, he added.  

According to the scientists, a common, genetic abnormality leads to Alzheimer’s disease and around nine culprit genes were identified, so far. An easy to prevent the onset of the disease is switching off the causative genes by advanced biotechnological methods such as gene silencing and gene knock-off.

Such techniques are being used in biotechnology and basic medical sciences. So it is not difficult to implement the technology in fend-off the elderly disease.