Down syndrome is a genetically determined form of Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, in more than 90% of cases, being born with trisomy 21 is synonymous with the development of this type of dementia. This reality is something that has been known with certainty in the last few years and in which the prestigious Memory Unit of the Hospital La Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona) and the Sant Pau Research Institute, a world leader, have played a major role. Now researchers have taken another step in reimagining Alzheimer’s disease by discovering a new, genetically determined form of the disease: people with two copies of the APOE4 gene will develop dementia in a high percentage of cases. The study was published yesterday in the journal Nature Medicine. Without previous studies that this unit had previously conducted with Down syndrome, its researchers say, this discovery would not have been possible, which opens the door to population-based screening and personalized treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Infuriatingly humble social media buff. Twitter advocate. Writer. Internet nerd.”
