PROVO, UTAH (ABC 4 News) – There are two markers for Alzheimer’s disease in the brain: plaque and tangles. Brigham Young University biology professor, John S.K. Kauwe has discovered a link between a gene variation and the amount of tangles that develop in the brain. Those tangles kill neurons, the information transmitting cells in the brain. The study shows the presence of the discovered gene variation predicts how quickly the neurodegenerative disease will spread.
Dr. Kauwe worked in conjunction with the Washington University School of Medicine to study protein. “We tried to look at proteins and the level of proteins that are extremely important in Alzheimer’s disease.”
The protein of particular interest is tau. The tangles inside the brains of those with Alzheimer’s are aggregates of that protein. Dr. Kauwe says “Imagine this protein and there are many, many, copies of this same protein all tangled and stuck together inside this mass, and the mass is neurons, and it is toxic to the neurons.”
Dr. Kauwe found the variant of a gene affected tau and how much was produced. “People that have this particular genetic variant actually progressed faster through Alzheimer’s disease.”
He says the discovery gives a greater understanding of not just disease risk, but of disease progression. Dr. Kauwe hopes it will be used as a resource in the ongoing search for cures and preventative measures. “It is clear that there are possibilities for manipulating disease even once clinical symptoms have started, to make sure it doesn’t become as severe as quickly.”
Dr. Kauwe says this is not a cure, but could potentially change the quality of life for people with the disease, and even the cause of death. “It could allow them to live with a quality of life where they know their loved ones, and eventually pass away from some other cause. In that sense, it’s somewhat of a success.”
