Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation that reduces the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 70 percent.
This protective variant is present in the FN1 gene, which makes a protein called fibronectin.
The discovery was made in people who had the APOEe4 gene. This gene significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.
The research, published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, said the findings could lead to the discovery of new types of therapy or drugs that could mimic the gene’s protective effect to protect against disease.
Fibronectin is normally found in small amounts in the blood-brain barrier (a line that controls the movement of compounds in and out of the brain) and plays an important role in repairing injured tissue. .
However, in Alzheimer’s patients, they are found in greater amounts, and scientists believe that high levels of fibronectin prevent the brain from destroying a protein called amyloid. These proteins bind together and later form deposits in the brain that damage cells.
The death of brain cells ultimately leads to Alzheimer’s.
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