As reported by the
Globe & Mail, Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is on the forefront of promising new research on ways to slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease. In a paper published recently in the Archives of General
Psychiatry, CAMH scientists describe their hope that boosting the production of a specific gene central to memory and learning, could delay the onset of Alzheimer's by keeping brain cells healthy for longer.
"A gene that plays a role in memory and learning also shapes the architecture of the aging brain in ways that may make people more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease, a team of Toronto researchers has discovered."
"Aristotle Voineskos of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health said the gene causes subtle weaknesses in areas of the brain that are the first to be affected by Alzheimer's. It is a common variant, carried by well over half the population, and is probably one of many risk factors related to the disease."
"If we can manipulate it, we might be able to keep brain cells healthy for longer," he said."About 500,000 Canadians have Alzheimer's and related dementias and that number is expected to double within 20 years. There is evidence that the brain damage that is characteristic of the disease begins long before people begin to experience memory loss."
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Globe & Mail