Memory in adults impacted by versions of four genes - 2 views
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advanced understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development.
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certain versions of four genes may speed shrinkage of a brain region involved in making new memories
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hippocampus, normally shrinks with age, but if the process speeds up, it could increase vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease
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two genes associated with intracranial volume -- the space within the skull occupied by the brain when the brain is fully developed in a person's lifespan
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gene variants identified in the first study do not cause Alzheimer's, but they may rob the hippocampus of a kind of "reserve" against the disease
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if a person with one of these variants did get Alzheimer's, the disease would attack an already compromised hippocampus and so would lead to a more severe condition at a younger age than otherwise
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loses a greater-than-average amount of volume due to the gene variants we've identified, the hippocampus is more vulnerable to Alzheimer's
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associations impacting intracranial volume, which is an indirect measure of the size of the brain at full development.
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one of these genes has played a unique evolutionary role in human development, and perhaps we as a species are selecting this gene as a way of providing further advances in brain development