A significant Alzheimer’s study is shedding new light on a protective gene that appears to delay the disease in those destined to develop it.
Researchers from two Mass General Brigham hospitals — Mass Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital — have been studying a large extended family in Colombia with multiple members who have the Paisa mutation, which predicts an extremely high genetic risk of developing early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Most people with the Paisa variant develop mild cognitive impairment in their 40s, develop dementia in their 50s and die from complications of dementia in their 60s, according to a press release.
