She was destined to get early Alzheimer’s, but didn’t. Did a rare mutation protect her?
A woman with a genetic mutation thought to inevitably cause Alzheimer’s disease in people’s 50s escaped that fate, living into her 70s before she developed mild dementia — and researchers think they know why.
In addition to the Alzheimer’s mutation, they reported on Monday, she has a rare form of a gene best known for producing molecules that help carry cholesterol through the bloodstream. Somehow, the second gene prevented the devastating consequences of the first, a finding that might one day open up new approaches to treating or preventing Alzheimer’s.
“This is an excellent and thought-provoking study,” said Dr. Michael Greicius of Stanford University School of — published in Nature Medicine — is “hypothesis-generating” but far from definitive.
