Alzheimer’s Society comment on whether having a parent with dementia may affect memory in midlife
Published 19 February 2009
People who have parents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and APOE4 gene may be more likely to have memory loss themselves in middle age.
The APOE4 gene is associated with higher risk of Alzheimer's. This study suggests that this risk gene may be particularly important for people with parents with Alzheimer's disease.
'We have just over 20,000 genes in our body, what role they play in Alzheimer's disease is an important avenue for research. This is an interesting study as it suggests that individuals who have the APOE4 gene and a parent with dementia are more likely to have some memory impairment in mid life. It is not yet clear whether they would go on to develop Alzheimer's.
Much more research is needed to unpick the complex relationship between APOE4 gene, a person's memory in middle life and their family history of dementia. Finding a way to identify people at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease before they develop symptoms could lead to the development of better treatments.
It is too soon to say whether early genetic testing would be beneficial for this group of people. One million people will develop dementia in the next ten years yet dementia research is desperately underfunded. With the right investment, dementia can be defeated.'
Professor Clive Ballard
Director of Research
