Study identifies gene which influences development of Alzheimer's
Published 20 November 2012
Scientists have identified a gene which could influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease according to research published in Molecular Psychiatry today (20 November 2012).
The study, funded by Alzheimer's Society and led by academics at King’s College London, shows that the gene clusterin could switch on a pathway in the brain which is linked to the development of Alzheimer’s.
The gene is thought to control a signalling pathway which causes changes in the protein, known as tau, linked to tangles in the brain that characterise Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer's Society comment:
'The more we understand about the way Alzheimer’s develops the better placed we are to treat it. This important study fills in some critical gaps regarding the complex way Alzheimer’s takes hold and could lead us towards a new way of diagnosing, targeting and treating the condition more effectively.
'One in three people over the age of 65 will die with dementia, emphasising the importance of research like this in helping people live well with dementia today whilst we search for a cure.'
Professor Clive Ballard
Director of Research
Alzheimer’s Society
Research reference: R. Killick et al. Clusterin regulates b-amyloid toxicity via Dickkopf-1-driven induction of the wnt–PCP–JNK pathway. Molecular Psychiatry, 2012. [Epub ahead of print].
