The inheritance of alzheimer

People with a maternal history of Alzheimer's disease of late onset are twice as likely to suffer a reduction in gray matter volume in vulnerable areas of the brain, compared to those who have a father with the disease or those without family history.

Using voxel morphometry techniques, the authors of an article published in the journal Neurology, have found different brain regions of individuals with paternal and maternal history of Alzheimer's disease. The results show that people with a maternal history of disease have differences in specific areas of the brain that are also affected by Alzheimer's disease and are not affected in individuals with paternal history. Specifically, it was noted that cognitively healthy people, but with a mother with Alzheimer's disease, showed increased atrophy of gray matter around the brain and cerebrospinal fluid expansion. These subjects also had significantly greater atrophy in the precuneus and parahippocampal and hippocampal regions, compared with those with paternal history of disease or no family history, regardless of the presence of APOE4, marital status, sex and age .

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