Study reveals why women are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s

Scientists from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the University of Chicago in the United States, discovered a new genetic variant responsible for increasing the risk. Alzheimer’s. One of the best-known variants is the APOE 4 allele found in people of both sexes over 65, but they are working on a gene that appears to affect women.

According to a study published in the scientific journal Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the new gene is called MGMT. Researchers used a variety of techniques to perform a whole genome association study (GWAS) specifically for Alzheimer’s; They used two separate datasets for the research.

One method consisted of studying dementia in women from a large Hutterite family, as they had a small genetic background compared to the rest of the population, making them a major object of study – the Hutterites are a more isolated religious community. Like the Amish.

The second method used genetic data from a national sample and analyzed information from 10,340 women without the APOE 4 allele based on research into the link between Alzheimer’s and breast cancer. With both approaches, the researchers found evidence that MGMT is strongly linked to the development of Alzheimer’s.

MGMT and Alzheimer’s

“The confirmation of our findings on the largest dataset used by the Boston University group was extremely satisfying, ultimately leading to supportive epigenetic mechanisms linking the two GWAS results to the MGMT gene,” said the head of genetics at the University of Chicago. and Carole Ober, senior author of the study.

The scientists also used other molecular data and features related to Alzheimer’s and MGMT. Thus, they found that the gene was significantly associated with the development of Alzheimer’s proteins in women.

In any case, the researchers will continue to work to understand more about the gene. They say similar research could provide relevant information about the link between genetics and Alzheimer’s.