A man's rare gene variant may have shielded him from devastating form of early Alzheimer's

 

Originally published by Stephanie Pappas on May 15, 2023

The discovery of a gene variant that protects against an early, insidious form of Alzheimer's could lead to new treatments for the disease.

 

A man carried a genetic mutation that set him up to develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease, but another gene kept him healthy for many years. (Image credit: byakkaya via Getty Images)

A newly discovered genetic variant protects against a particularly devastating form of early Alzheimer's disease, raising scientists' hopes of finding treatments that can prevent or slow the progression of this and other forms of the disease. 

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