UK Wedding News
26/11/2013
Toddlers who have a genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's have brains that develop differently, according to a new study.
The research, which was carried out by Brown University's Advanced Baby Imaging Lab with the results published in the journal JAMA Neurology, suggested that infants who carry a gene associated with an increased risk of the condition have differences in brain development, compared to children without the gene.
The gene variant, called APOE-E4, is a known risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's and those behind the study say the research shows some of the earliest different in people who have it.
The variant linked to the disease is present in around 25% of people. Not everyone who carries the gene gets the condition, but 60% of those who develop Alzheimer's have at least one copy of the E4 gene.
For the study, researchers scanned the brains of 162 healthy babies aged from two to 25 months as well as carrying out DNA tests. Of those children, 60 had the E4 variant, which has been linked to an increased risk of the disease. Their brains where then compared to those without the E3 variant. Those with the APOE-E4 gene were found to have increased brain growth in the frontal lobe and decreased growth in parts of the middle and rear of the brain. These areas, were the decreased growth was found tend to be affected in elderly patients who have Alzheimer's disease.
Despite the results, researchers have stressed that this does not mean that any of the children involved in the study will develop Alzheimer's, or that the brain changes detected are the first clinical signs of the disease. Rather, a theory being suggested is that the early changed could offer a "foothold" for the later sequence of events that leads to the disease and its symptoms.
Senior author Dr Sean Deoni, who oversees Brown University's Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, commented: "This work is about understanding how this gene influences brain development.
"These results do not establish a direct link to the changes seen in Alzheimer's patients, but with more research they may tell us something about how the gene contributes to Alzheimer's risk later in life.
"We're in a good spot to be able to investigate how this gene influences development in healthy infants.
"These infants are not medicated and not showing any cognitive decline - quite the opposite, actually; they're developing normally."
He added that there is no reason to believe that the children won't continue to develop normally.
It is hoped the findings could lead to new strategies for preventing the disease.
(JP/CD)
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Toddler's Brains Could Indicate If They Will Develop Alzheimer's
Toddlers who have a genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's have brains that develop differently, according to a new study.
The research, which was carried out by Brown University's Advanced Baby Imaging Lab with the results published in the journal JAMA Neurology, suggested that infants who carry a gene associated with an increased risk of the condition have differences in brain development, compared to children without the gene.
The gene variant, called APOE-E4, is a known risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's and those behind the study say the research shows some of the earliest different in people who have it.
The variant linked to the disease is present in around 25% of people. Not everyone who carries the gene gets the condition, but 60% of those who develop Alzheimer's have at least one copy of the E4 gene.
For the study, researchers scanned the brains of 162 healthy babies aged from two to 25 months as well as carrying out DNA tests. Of those children, 60 had the E4 variant, which has been linked to an increased risk of the disease. Their brains where then compared to those without the E3 variant. Those with the APOE-E4 gene were found to have increased brain growth in the frontal lobe and decreased growth in parts of the middle and rear of the brain. These areas, were the decreased growth was found tend to be affected in elderly patients who have Alzheimer's disease.
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Despite the results, researchers have stressed that this does not mean that any of the children involved in the study will develop Alzheimer's, or that the brain changes detected are the first clinical signs of the disease. Rather, a theory being suggested is that the early changed could offer a "foothold" for the later sequence of events that leads to the disease and its symptoms.
Senior author Dr Sean Deoni, who oversees Brown University's Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, commented: "This work is about understanding how this gene influences brain development.
"These results do not establish a direct link to the changes seen in Alzheimer's patients, but with more research they may tell us something about how the gene contributes to Alzheimer's risk later in life.
"We're in a good spot to be able to investigate how this gene influences development in healthy infants.
"These infants are not medicated and not showing any cognitive decline - quite the opposite, actually; they're developing normally."
He added that there is no reason to believe that the children won't continue to develop normally.
It is hoped the findings could lead to new strategies for preventing the disease.
(JP/CD)
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