A research team at the Massachusetts General Hospital have discovered two gene mutations that could cause late onset Alzheimers disease in humans. The good news, according to the researchers, this can help in the prevention and treatment of the disease.

A gene, called ADAM10, is where the new mutations were found. The mutations are similar to the same mutations found in Alzheimers, which is usually founded in people over the age of 60. This is the second gene confirmed to cause late onset Alzheimers as well as the fifth to be linked overall to the disease according to the Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.

The two mutations the researchers found in the ADAM10 gene, showed an increase in producing the beta-amyloid protein. The beta-amyloid protein is founded in people who suffer from Alzheimers. The mutations also stop the creation of new nerve related cells in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is critical as it main purpose is to help with the brains function to learn and retain memory.

This is the first report to document, in animal models, new [disease-causing] gene mutations for Alzheimers since the reports of the original four genes in the 1990s. , study senior author Rudolph Tanzi, director of the genetics and aging unit the Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, said at the hospital news release.

What we found regarding the many effects of these two rare mutations in ADAM10 strongly suggests that diminished activity of this enzyme can cause [Alzheimer's disease], and these findings support ADAM10 as a promising therapeutic target for both treatment and prevention. he said.

Similar findings from animal models does not mean it will be founded in humans, but it is a potential help in the fight against Alzheimers. Video via NDN

Read more here:
Alzheimer’s: A Discovery of Two New Gene Mutations

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