In a large Colombian family, researchers discovered a gene that can delay Alzheimer’s disease by years. “This is absolutely crazy,” says one expert.
This woman’s genes were actually destined for a terrible future. Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas carried a genetic mutation that causes people to develop Alzheimer’s at a young age. Those who – like the Colombian woman – have the gene variant called Presenilin 1 begin to develop dementia at the age of 40; they no longer recognize their neighbors on the street or can’t find their way to the nearby supermarket.