Genetic Diversity Could Bring About Better Alzheimer's Treatment, Study Says

A study published in Neuron suggests genetic diversity among test subjects in Alzheimer's research could lead to better treatment options, reports United Press International . The investigators injected a mouse model of familial Alzheimer's into a group of genetically diverse mice that shared the cognitive, genetic, molecular, and pathologic traits of the disease. However, the animals with differing overall genetic backgrounds exhibited different severity levels of disease symptom onset. The team observed a specific strain of mouse Alzheimer's has factors that help ward off the effects of genetic Alzheimer's risk factors. Their ability to recognize this strain implies that future studies can concentrate on the precise mechanisms acting to improve Alzheimer's prevention. "The ability to model genetic diversity and its impact on multiple aspects of disease risk and resilience in transgenic mice in a robust and reproducible way will enable the research community to learn a lot more about the complex nature of Alzheimer's a lot faster," predicts Suzana Petanceska with the National Institute on Aging's Division of Neuroscience.