"If You Have This Gene, You Will Definitely Get Dementia"… Overseas Researchers "Confident in Paper" Stir Controversy

Publication in International Journal Nature Expected to Have Growing Impact

A claim that a 'gene that inevitably causes Alzheimer's (dementia)' has been discovered has sparked controversy in the academic community. The controversy is expected to grow, especially as the author of the paper confidently asserted that dementia manifestation is 'guaranteed' in carriers of this gene.

On the 6th (local time), a paper related to the Alzheimer's risk gene was published in 'Nature Medicine,' a top-tier journal in the fields of life sciences and medicine. This study was led by Dr. Juan Forte and his research team at the University of Barcelona, Spain.

Not related to specific expressions in the article.

The dementia risk gene identified by Dr. Forte's team is the 'APOE4 gene homozygous genotype.' This genotype had previously been suspected as a causative factor for dementia. However, the academic community had not been certain about the exact mechanism of APOE4's action.

Nevertheless, Dr. Forte's team asserted in their paper that individuals carrying this genotype will 'inevitably develop dementia' as they age. The team claimed this conclusion was drawn from analyzing over 3,000 brains donated to the U.S. National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center and clinical data from at least 10,000 individuals across three countries.

As a result, 95% of cerebrospinal fluid samples from individuals under 65 years old with the APOE4 homozygous genotype showed 'amyloid beta' levels exceeding the normal range. Notably, 75% of these individuals also had amyloid beta detected in their brains. Currently, the cause of Alzheimer's onset is presumed to be the accumulation of amyloid beta protein in the brain.

The researchers claimed that all individuals with this gene exhibited Alzheimer's symptoms, that the speed of symptom onset was similar, and that clinical changes occurred in a predictable sequence.

However, the confident tone of the researchers has sparked debate in the academic community. Professor David Curtis of the UCL Genetics Institute in the UK issued a statement criticizing the claim, saying, "I found no evidence to justify the assertion that Alzheimer's is genetically expressed in cases of APOE4 homozygosity." He pointed out that "regardless of whether one is homozygous for APOE4 or not, the underlying disease progression in Alzheimer's patients is mostly similar."