New Alzheimer’s disease gene detected

A recently discovered gene appears twice as often in people with Alzheimer’s disease than in those without it, researchers in California said.

Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of elderly dementia and so far scientists have found no cure.

The TOMM40 gene, discovered by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, significantly increases the susceptibility of Alzheimer’s when other risk factors — such as having a gene called ApoE-4 — are present, said Dr. Steven Potkin, lead author of a study to be published this month in the journal PLos One.

The TOMM40 gene influences the ease with which molecules can get in and out of mitochondria, the energy production center and stress mediator of cells, Potkin said. TOMM40 also processes materials that form amyloid plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

As people age, the number and function of mitochondria decrease, accompanied by a parallel increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, Potkin said.