Dementia- Genetics

Transcript

So fortunately, most cases of dementia are not hereditary. The vast majority of cases of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, do not have a genetic basis. However, there are some genes implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, do involve genes, including amyloid precursor protein, and presenilin. These are the vast minority of cases of Alzheimer’s disease. However, they predispose these proteins in the brain to forming these toxic clumps of protein. Even with the genetic mutation in these particular genes, the risk of dementia is only increased. It is not a given that you are going to develop dementia. Our understanding of the genetic predisposition for dementia has increased and is continuing to increase. It is a very active area in dementia research. We are finding more genes associated with dementia. We believe that in, in general, dementia is probably a multifactorial or multigene related illness that might predispose you to dementia. However, there has to be, in conjunction with these gene mutations, some environmental exposure or lifestyle factors that also play into the development of dementia.