22 Jun Alzheimer’s Patients: Elevated Amyloid Detected on PET Scans of Family Members

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Seto

Mabel Seto, PhD
Harvard Aging Brain Study, Department of Neurology
Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment
Department of Neurology
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The background for this study is that individuals with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease (i.e., one or more first-degree relatives) have a higher risk for the disease than individuals that don’t have a family history. Previous studies suggested a preferential maternal inheritance of AD, though they were limited in sample size and statistical power.

In our study, we wanted to focus on a larger, cognitively unimpaired sample. Using data from the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4) study, a randomized clinical trial aimed at AD prevention, we examined the relationship between a parental history of significant memory impairment as a proxy for AD (as some individuals may not have pursued formal diagnosis) and amyloid-beta burden in the offspring.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: In our study, we confirmed that individuals with a mother or both parents with a history of memory impairment or dementia had elevated amyloid-beta as measured by PET imaging. In addition, we found that individuals who had a father with early-onset (age < 65) memory impairment, but not late-onset, also had elevated amyloid. 

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Understanding the relationship between maternal history and AD may help inform clinicians on likelihood of Aβ burden in offspring and help identify high-risk individuals at the earliest stages of disease for prevention and/or intervention and may contribute to therapeutic development for AD. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?

Response: As a result of this study, our future research goals are to better understand the biological underpinnings of this phenomenon. Is it mitochondrial DNA? Is it genomic imprinting or other epigenetic signals? Additionally, the individuals in our study are primarily of non-Hispanic white ancestry, so it is important to expand these studies to individuals of other races and ethnicities to better understand AD risk in all populations.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?

Response: It’s important to note that our study’s findings should also be considered within the greater context of sociohistorical factors. For example, some participants’ parents died young, before they could potentially develop symptoms of cognitive impairment. Additionally, like access to resources and education may have also played a role in when someone acknowledged cognitive impairment and if they were ever formally diagnosed.

Dr. Seto has no disclosures. Dr. Yang has no relevant conflicts of interest. Eli Lilly and Co. funded the A4 Study but had no direct influence in the submitted work.

Citation:

Seto M, Hohman TJ, Mormino EC, et al. Parental History of Memory Impairment and β-Amyloid in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults. JAMA Neurol. Published online June 17, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.1763

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2820195

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Last Updated on June 22, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD