Alzheimer's gene variant alters the brain in childhood

Researchers are discovering interesting effects of the so-called e4 gene
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease. In its most common form Alzheimer usually affects people over the age of 65 years. Researchers found that a specific gene is related to the disease. A variant of this gene can probably already be found in our early childhood.

Researchers from the University of Hawaii and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have now discovered that Alzheimer's disease-related genes can be detected as early as childhood. A special variant of the gene has a negative impact on our brain structure. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Neurology".

Researchers discovered in a study that a particular variant of a gene in children causes changes in the brain. This gene also increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease later in life. (Image: lom123 / fotolia.com)

The e4 gene can be detected as a young child
The gene called APOE is associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. A variant of this gene leads to a further increase in Alzheimer's risk. The so-called gene e4 has a strong effect on humans and can already be determined in their most recent childhood, explain the physicians.

The e4 gene degrades thinking and memory
Brain scans of young children showed that the e4 gene variant typically causes certain areas of the brain to develop more slowly, say the experts in the study. These are the same brain regions that often wither away in people with Alzheimer's disease. Linda Chang from the University of Hawaii. In some children with the e4 gene it was found in tests that the thinking ability and the memory worked worse. This disadvantage disappeared again between the ages of eight and ten years. Dr. Chang suspects that people with the e4 gene are more susceptible to the "extremes of old age".

There is no need to test children for variants of APOE
The results have so far had no immediate practical effects. There is no need for children to be tested for APOE variants today, says co-author Rebecca Knickmeyer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Scientifically, the result of the study is very interesting. It is a fascinating idea that Alzheimer's could be partly a developmental disorder, explain the researchers.

Physicians are looking for ways to prevent it
If the assumptions are true, they raise new questions for physicians around the world. If the disease is diagnosed in childhood, how can we stop the slowly progressing disease? According to co-author Knickmeyer, the question arises: could we intervene early on through some non-invasive approaches, such as nutrition or cognitive training??

There are three different variants of the APOE gene
The APOE gene has three different forms: e2, e3 and e4. Each person carries two copies of the gene. In each case a gene inherited from a parent. Here, the E3 variant is the most common, more than three quarters of the population have at least one copy.

Only 14 percent of all people carry the e4 gene
Far fewer people carry the variant e4 in itself. Only about 14 percent carry a copy of the e4 variant and only eight percent of humans carry an e2 variant in itself. Affecting a variant of e4 increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. With two copies of the gene, the probability of Alzheimer's increases even further, the scientists explain.

People with the e4 gene do not automatically get Alzheimer's disease
Since the E2 variant is so unusual and rare, its role remains relatively unclear, says Chang. However, there is evidence that this gene may reduce the risk of dementia symptoms unless the person also carries a copy of the e4 gene. However, carrying an e4 variant does not automatically cause Alzheimer's disease. For example, many people with Alzheimer's do not carry an e4 variant. In addition, there are also many people with an e4 variant who still do not develop Alzheimer's, the experts add.

Study scans the brains of nearly 1,200 children
The study was based on brain MRI scans of nearly 1,200 healthy children and adolescents. Overall, 62 percent carried two copies of e3, say the doctors. A quarter of all subjects had at least one copy of the e4 gene in them. Less than two percent of all participants had two e4 variants. Children with one or two copies of e4 typically have altered brain structure, the authors add.

Impairments of the brain in childhood regenerate
The researchers also found that young children with two copies of e4 or one copy of e4 and one copy of e2 in memory tests, puzzles and attention tests performed worse. This changed again at the age of eight to ten years, explain the physicians.

A healthy diet and exercise can help protect our brains
It is enormously difficult to find out if an early intervention in life eventually makes a difference in Alzheimer's risk. Studies would last for decades, would be logistically hard to implement and also very expensive, says co-author Knickmeyer. The experts call for people to protect their brains by eating a healthy diet, moving a lot and trying to stay mentally active. For example, some physicians advise so-called brain jogging to prevent Alzheimer's. Currently, there are few treatment options for Alzheimer's disease. Damaged brain damage can not be reversed, "explains Chang. (As)