ISLAMABAD, April 02 (ONLINE): New research suggests factors like diabetes, alcohol consumption, and traffic-related pollution may damage a part of the brain associated with dementia.
\nThe brain area of concern is the last to develop during adolescence and is the first to deteriorate with age.<\/p>\n
The study also explored genetic factors that may influence the effect of modifiable factors on dementia risk.
\nA comprehensive new study examined the effects of a wide range of modifiable factors and dementia onset.<\/p>\n
The study authors had previously identified a \u201cweak spot\u201d in the brain that develops slowly in adolescence, deteriorates early during aging, and has been linked to dementia.<\/p>\n
This new study\u2019s findings indicate three factors are most likely to lead to the degradation of this fragile brain region: diabetes, alcohol consumption, and nitrogen dioxide from traffic-related air pollution.<\/p>\n
Unique to this new research were two mutations of a lesser-studied genome and an enigmatic blood group called the XG antigen system.<\/p>\n
The study is published in Nature Communications.<\/p>\n
Studying the brain\u2019s \u2018weak spot\u2019
\nWhile the focus of the study is primarily on modifiable factors, the authors felt that the inclusion of potential genetic influences provided a clear overall picture of the health of individuals in the study.<\/p>\n
The authors analyzed data \u2014 including brain scans \u2014 of 39,676 UK Biobank volunteers. They were considered healthier than the general population. Just a few had received a diagnosis of dementia, and participants ranged from 44 to 83 years of age.<\/p>\n
The authors measured the effects of 161 modifiable \u2014 and a few genetic \u2014 factors. Among these were seven changes in the genome that affect this \u201cweak spot.\u201d Some are related to Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD), Parkinson\u2019s disease (PD), an increased risk of cardiovascular death, and schizophrenia.<\/p>\n
Dr. Logan DuBose, a resident physician at George Washington University, not involved in the study, described this weak spot in the brain as the network that develops last and the first to degrade with age.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe research team identified brain regions that are the first to decline in Alzheimer\u2019s disease, known as \u2018higher-order brain regions,\u2019 including the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, and temporal cortex, among others,\u201d Dr. DuBose told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese regions,\u201d he said, \u201care associated with long-term memory, executive tasks, working memory, and attention, and they deteriorate as individuals age or in conditions like Alzheimer\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their last in, first out status \u201cis why they are considered \u2018vulnerable\u2019 or \u2018fragile,\u2019\u201d Dr. DuBose added, \u201cand the research team closely studies the factors that influence or accelerate the degeneration of these specific fragile brain regions. The researchers\u2019 main goal was to study the things that make these brain regions degrade faster, so they can inform us about ways to avoid certain risk factors and preserve brain health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Claire Sexton, senior director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, not involved in the study, commented on the three factors identified by the researchers for MNT (diabetes, alcohol intake, and air pollution).<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are well-known risk factors for dementia, so their association with a vulnerable brain network seems very plausible,\u201d Dr. Sexton said.<\/p>\n
How does air pollution damage the brain?
\nThe authors say that their investigation of the X chromosome revealed their strongest genetic finding in a peculiar region shared by both sex chromosomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe XG antigen system is another gene that researchers examined to determine if it made people more or less susceptible to accelerated degeneration of their fragile brain regions,\u201d Dr. DuBose said.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly, they discovered that individuals with a specific type of XG gene could be more affected by air pollution found in the air they breathe. This was found to be a major factor contributing to damage in fragile brain areas,\u201d Dr. DuBose noted.<\/p>\n
He considered this finding to be significant, he said, \u201cas it could establish a link between environmental factors such as living in high-traffic areas or large cities with lots of pollution and increased risk of damage to fragile brain regions.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Dr. DuBose, such insights suggest a genetic influence on a person\u2019s susceptibility to known risk factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis insight is crucial, especially as technology advances our ability to know a person\u2019s genetic predispositions. Knowing a person\u2019s genes and the associated risks those genes cause allows healthcare providers and patients to intervene early, potentially slowing disease progression or damage that otherwise would be more accelerated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Dr. Logan DuBose, physician<\/p>\n
Dr. DuBose pointed out that the study also found associations between genetic clusters and modifiable risk factors, including alcohol intake and diabetes.<\/p>\n
The authors pointed out another interesting, for now unexplained finding: one of the novel genetic mutations they observed on the X chromosome was associated with early life and socioeconomic factors, including:<\/p>\n
their number of siblings
\nwhether they were breast-fed as an infant
\nwhether their mother smoked when pregnant<\/p>\n
Research on factors linked to brain aging is ongoing
\nThe current study builds on evidence that has shown how multiple risk factors may contribute to dementia onset.<\/p>\n
Still, Dr. Sexton called for more research in representative populations that may replicate and confirm the study\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n
She highlighted, however, the Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s two-year trial to evaluate \u201cwhether lifestyle interventions that simultaneously target multiple risk factors can protect cognitive function in older adults at increased risk for cognitive decline.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study is called the U.S. Pointer Study, or U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk. It is the first such study of a large, representative group of Americans.<\/p>\n
In the study, more than 2,000 volunteer older adults deemed at increased risk of cognitive decline are being followed for two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly 30% of current participants are from populations historically underrepresented in Alzheimer\u2019s\/dementia research. Data\/results are expected in 2025,\u201d Dr. Sexton said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, April 02 (ONLINE): New research suggests factors like diabetes, alcohol consumption, and traffic-related pollution may damage a part of the brain associated with dementia. The brain area of concern is the last to develop during adolescence and is the first to deteriorate with age. […]<\/p>\n
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