People more likely to get dementia if their mother has Alzheimer's, study finds

Laura Hampson
·3-min read
Children of mothers with Alzheimer's are more likely to get dementia themselves. (Getty Images)
Children of mothers with Alzheimer's are more likely to get dementia themselves. (Getty Images)

As many as one in 11 people in the UK over the age of 65 have dementia – and now new research has determined a genetic link that could predetermine the likelihood of developing the disease.

Researchers from the US have found that people whose mothers have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to develop dementia.

To get these results, the scientists analysed levels of amyloid – a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease – in 4,400 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 65 to 85.

They found that there were higher levels of amyloid in people whose mothers had either been diagnosed with, or had symptoms of, Alzheimer’s.

“Our study found if participants had a family history on their mother’s side, a higher amyloid level was observed,” study corresponding author and neurologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston, Dr Hyun-Sik Yang, said.

All stages of Alzheimer’s in the mother were connected with elevated levels of amyloid in the offspring, the study found.

However, if the father showed early onset symptoms of Alzheimer’s – just early, not all stages – this also led to elevated amyloid levels.

Factoring in this sex-specific parental history could be an important way of identifying adults who may have a heightened risk of dementia, the scientists said.

Son teaching his mother
Both sons and daughters have the same level of risk of dementia if their mother has Alzheimer's. (Getty Images)

The research team wanted to revisit the question with cognitively normal participants and access to a larger clinical trial data set.

“It’s really interesting from a genetic perspective to see one sex contributing something the other sex isn’t,” study first author Dr Mabel Seto, a postdoctoral research fellow, said.

Dr Seto added that it didn’t matter if the offspring was biologically male or female, if their mother had Alzheimer’s they were more predisposed to dementia.

Dementia is the overarching term that is used for a range of cognitive diseases – including Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is one of the most common forms of dementia, alongside Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.

Because dementia is an umbrella term for a myriad of cognitive diseases, there is no singular cause for it.

Several diseases that come under dementia have similar symptoms, so the NHS recommends keeping an eye out for the following:

  • Memory loss

  • Mental quickness and sharpness

  • Trouble speaking or using words incorrectly

  • Changes in mood, understanding, or judgement

  • Difficulty doing everyday activities

  • Change in movement

  • Loss of interest in regular activities

Problems managing behaviour or emotions

While there is currently no cure for dementia, the NHS says that an early diagnosis means that it can be slowed in some cases.