New Connection Between Alzheimer's Dementia and Dlgap2

A study in Cell Reports found that Dlgap2, a gene that helps effect communication between neurons in the nervous system, is associated with memory loss in mice and is a risk for Alzheimer's dementia in humans, according to ScienceDaily . Analysis of post-mortem human brain tissue also revealed low concentrations of Dlgap2 in people experiencing "poorer cognitive health" and "faster cognitive decline" before death. "The reason why this is so important is because a lot of research around cognitive aging and Alzheimer's has been hyper-focused on well-known risk genes like APOE and brain pathologies," said University of Maine Professor Catherine Kaczorowski. "We wanted to give ourselves the option of looking at new things people keep ignoring because they've never heard about a gene before." Dlgap2 was found to influence the formation of dendritic spines on neurons, which can impact cognitive function, as longer and thinner spines exhibit higher mental performance than stubbier spines in mice. Decreased cognition also corresponds with a decline in dendritic spines.