Researchers say they have now identified a gene variant that may increase the risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which in turn could lead to improved understanding of the disease and new prevention and treatment developments. According to latest research it was seen that specific changes in the gene in a protein called ubiquilin-1 was associated with an increased incidence of Alzheimer’s.
In previous studies, researchers studied Alzheimer’s patients and their affected siblings and identified several chromosome “hotspots” that could be associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.For the study, researchers analyzed several sequence variations in ubiquilin-1 and two other genes located nearby. Using 217 sibling pairs, researchers confirmed particular changes in the ubiquilin-1 gene sequence, which occurred more frequently in individuals with Alzheimer’s than in their unaffected siblings. However researchers recommend additional genetic studies to characterize the potential effect of the gene on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
