Having a parent with Alzheimer’s disease can increase your risk of developing the disease as well. But which parent contributes more to your risk?
According to a US study published in JAMA Neurology, people whose mother had a history of Alzheimer’s disease had a greater risk for the disease compared with those who only had a paternal history of memory loss. The study included 4,413 healthy participants aged 65 to 85. They were asked if either of their parents had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and at what age the symptoms started. They then had PET scans to measure the amounts of amyloid protein plaques (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s) in the brain.
“Amyloid-beta accumulation is thought to be the earliest disease process of Alzheimer’s disease that occurs at a preclinical (pre-symptomatic) stage,” the study explained. There was higher buildup of amyloid protein plaques in people whose mother developed Alzheimer’s symptoms at any age, along with those who had both parents with the disease. With fathers, the children had elevated amyloid levels only if the father had early-onset symptoms (occurring before age 65). But if the father developed symptoms late in life, there was no amyloid plaque buildup.
“Maternal inheritance of Alzheimer’s disease may be an important factor in identifying asymptomatic individuals for ongoing and future prevention trials.”