Scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill have identified thousands of mutations that contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and are associated with the functioning of immune cells in the brain. The research was published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Microglia are immune cells in the brain that play an important role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In the new study, scientists discovered 181 new DNA regions containing 308 mutations (genetic variants) previously thought to be unimportant for Alzheimer’s disease.
The detected variants are predominantly located in regions that do not code for protein production. Previously, such regions of the genome were called “junk DNA”. In recent years, it has been shown that they actually play an important role in controlling the activity of various genes.
Scientists later found that a mutation in the TSPAN14 gene affects the functioning of the ADAM10 and TREM2 proteins in microglia. Previous studies have shown that TSPAN14, ADAM10 and TREM2 genes increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The new study links these to the state of the brain’s immune cells, bringing the development of effective drugs against dementia closer.
Previous scientists named A type of headache associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Source: Gazeta
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