People whose mother had Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to develop dementia, suggests new research. The study shows that whether a person inherits the risk of Alzheimer’s from their mother or father influences the risk of biological changes in the brain that lead to the disease. Factoring in sex-specific parental history could be important in helping to identify adults at heightened risk of dementia, say scientists.
American researchers analysed levels of amyloid - a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease - in 4,400 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 65 to 85. They found increased amyloid in those who reported that their mothers had symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Increased amyloid levels were also found in those with a history of the disease on both sides of their family and in those whose fathers had an early onset of symptoms.
Study senior corresponding author Dr Hyun-Sik Yang, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham, Boston, said: “Our study found if participants had a family history on their mother’s side, a higher amyloid level was observed." Dr Yang, who is also a physician investigator of Neurology for the Mass General Research Institute, teamed up with other Mass General Brigham researchers and scientists from Vanderbilt and Stanford University for the study. He said previous smaller studies have investigated the role family history plays in Alzheimer’s disease.
Some of those suggested maternal history represented a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Bu.
