A woman with Down syndrome who had all the “brain changes” of Alzheimer’s disease didn’t exhibit any of the cognitive symptoms that are characteristic of the progressive dementia — and researchers hope her brain can lead to “profound discoveries” in treating the illness.
“Despite the presence of [Alzheimer’s disease] pathology, the participant demonstrated intact cognitive functioning,” the case study, documented in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, said.
“Most people with Down syndrome, who have a genetic form of Alzheimer’s, develop learning and memory problems by their mid 50s along with brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease by the time they are in their 40s,” study author Elizabeth Head, a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, told Newsweek.
Stock image of a nurse helping a patient using a walker.
Getty
While not everyone with Down syndrome develops the progressive dementia, “almost all individuals with Down syndrome have significant levels of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles, abnormal protein deposits considered Alzheimer’s hallmarks,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Head oversees the Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium—Down Syndrome Research Study. The woman who participated in the study decided to donate her brain to researchers following her death in her ’60s.
The woman, the study said, “remained cognitively stable up until her death.”
“It was remarkable to see a person escape the learning and memory changes yet still have brain changes,” Head told Newsweek.
Researchers aren’t sure why she was able to escape the cognitive decline that is characteristic of Alzheimer’s; Jr-Jiun Liou, a postdoctoral scholar in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering, who examined her brain, told the outlet: “We think that her cognitive stability could have been attributed to her high education level or underlying genetic factors.”
Scans of the woman’s brain.
Alzheimer’s Association
“If we can identify the genetic underpinnings or lifestyle factors that allowed her brain to function well despite the pathology, we may uncover strategies that could benefit others. This study shows how just one person’s participation in research can lead to profound discoveries,” Head said in a statement from the University of Pittsburgh.
“We are grateful to the woman and her family of the gift for brain donation,” Head told Newsweek. “This case study gives us real hope to unlock approaches to deliver this type of resilience for all those with or at risk for cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease.”
