When we hold a newborn baby in our
arms, we look into his or her eyes and wonder what kind of life is
ahead for this new being. Our job as parents is to protect our children and keep them from harm. We shower them with love and envision how
their future can reach greater heights than we ever did.
We worry about the little
things—stomach aches that make the baby uncomfortable and makes him
cry. We may worry about childhood diseases and make appointments for
immunizations.
Unless a family has a serious inherited
genetic disease, most parents don’t worry about what diseases their
newborn might face later in life. Now, a new study may add to the
list of new parental worries. Researchers have been looking for
Alzheimer’s in the most unlikely place—in the brains of infants.
The tests on 62 infants aged 2-22
months began with a DNA test to determine which ones had the gene
variant APOE-E4, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Sixty of
the infants had the gene variant. MRI scans were used to measure
activity in the infants’ brains to compare the infants without the
variation to the ones with it.
Oddly enough, differences were observed
in the brain scans of the infants. The infants with the APOE-E4
variant had an increased brain growth in the frontal part of the
brain with less growth in the middle and back parts of the brain.
This is similar to the brain activity in adults who have Alzheimer’s
disease.
The type and number of copies a person
has of the APOE (apolipoprotein E) allele is associated with the risk
of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s. The APOE gene has several
functions, including carrying blood cholesterol through the body.
APOE is found in neurons and brain cells in healthy brains and in
plaques in the Alzheimer’s brain. Three common alleles are E2, E3,
and E4. E2 is thought to protect from Alzheimer’s, E3 (the most
common) is thought to be neutral, and E4 is linked to an increased
risk of Alzheimer’s. People with two E4 alleles, have a greater
risk of developing Alzheimer’s, but may not develop the disease,
just as people without any of the E4 variant may develop the disease.
The good news is that although these
infants have the APOE-E4 variant, it doesn’t mean they will grow up
to develop Alzheimer’s late in life. Even better, the infants with
the variant didn’t show any developmental delays.
The study was intended to increase
understanding of how the gene influences brain development.
Sean Deoni, Brown University’s Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, said,
“These results do not establish a direct link to the changes seen
in Alzheimer’s patients, but with more research they may tell us
something about how the gene contributes to Alzheimer’s risk later
in life.”
The studies on infants is interesting
and may be a piece of the puzzle when it comes to figuring out the
genetic influence on Alzheimer’s. Just like any disease influenced
by genetics, environment may be the key to provide an override of the
gene pool and remaining healthy. Research shows that physical
activity and good nutrition with healthy food choices can reduce the
risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Social interactions, puzzles and brain
teasers are ways to keep your brain active.
Our children complete the circle of
life. We hope they inherit our good traits and healthy genes and the
risk-carrying genes are allowed to sink into infinity. When we rock
the cradle, we need to worry less about genetic predispositions and
concentrate on raising our children in a healthy environment.
Copyright (c) L. S. Fisher, December
2013
Http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment