NEW YORK: Genes aren’t the only culprit causing Alzheimer’s disease. As Alzheimer’s researchers gain greater understanding of the disease, there’s a growing sense that developing effective treatments will need to take into account a mixture of factors including genetics, immune system and lifestyle. And starting those treatments years sooner may be key.
“If somebody told me 10 years ago that something could offset the genetic risk, I would have thought they were crazy,” said Dr. Greg Petsko, professor of neuroscience at the Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. “Genetic factors make someone more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, but it might be a mixture. It’s really a disease that’s not inevitable.”