A gene known for helping facilitate communication between neurons in the nervous system has been discovered to be connected with Alzheimer’s dementia and cognitive decline, according to a national research team led by The Jackson Laboratory and University of Maine.
Catherine Kaczorowski, associate professor and Evnin family chair in Alzheimer’s research at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), and adjunct professor with the UMaine Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering (GSBSE), spearheaded a study to pinpoint the genetic mechanisms that affect resistance or vulnerability to weakening cognition and dementias, such as Alzheimer’s.
Andrew Ouellette, a Ph.D student at JAX and a GSBSE NIH T32 predoctoral awardee, led the project, along with his mentor Kaczorowski and scientists from across the U.S.
By studying the memory and brain tissue from a large group of genetically diverse…
