Gene variant protecting against Alzheimer's disease decreases plasma beta-amyloid levels
The findings, drawing on the unique data of the METSIM (METabolic Syndrome In Men) study ongoing at the University of Eastern Finland, were published in Annals of Neurology . Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease strongly characterised by the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain tissue. Knowledge of the genetic background of Alzheimer's disease is crucial for finding new prevention measures and treatments, and for understanding the cellular level mechanisms of the disease. Uncovering the genetic pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease has been a target of great interest over the past few years, and genome-wide mapping studies focusing on risk genes have led to significant advances in the field. These studies have identified not only several new risk genes for Alzheimer's disease, but also gene variants that protect against it. Research groups focusing on Alzheimer's disease and diabetes at the University of Eastern Finland have now show that th...