Rare Gene Mutation Delays Onset of Alzheimer's Disease

A man with a gene mutation that guaranteed Alzheimer's disease was protected because of another mutation in a different gene that blocked the disease from entering his entorhinal cortex. Scientists believe that Alzheimer's disease begins in this tiny area of the brain. A drug that delays the disease by two decades is not out of the question, according to researchers. The mutation results in a potent version of a protein, Reelin, in the entorhinal cortex. Animal studies are already underway, and the future may involve a combination of therapies to prevent the buildup of amyloid and tau and to delay Alzheimer's.