Genes may be a crucial factor in the severity of CTE, according to a Boston University research
A genetic variant makes a person 2.34 times more likely to develop a more severe form of CTE
According to a recent research from the Boston University CTE Center, a person's genes may be a major factor in predicting how severe the chronic brain illness is.
People with a history of repeated head trauma, often sports, are more likely to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a gradual degenerative brain illness. However, among persons who have had comparable recurrent head injuries, the frequency and severity of CTE differs greatly.
Now, BU researchers have discovered that an APOE e4-designated genetic variation may enhance the risk for CTE severity in elderly people who repeatedly hit their heads.
The CTE researchers discovered that possessing this genetic variation increases a person's risk of developing a more severe form of CTE by more than double. The director of the BU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Clinical Core and a BU CTE Center investigator, Jesse Mez, is the study's corresponding author. "This study provides the most concrete evidence to date that APOE e4 is a risk factor for CTE-related pathological and clinical outcomes," he said.
The researchers examined the brains of 294 people who acquired CTE and 70 people who did not who were subjected to repeated head blows during contact sports or military duty.The researchers next examined their neurological data in relation to their APOE status and discovered that APOE e4 carriers had a 2.34-fold higher risk of having more severe CTE than non-carriers.
Both CTE stage (I through IV) and a quantitative examination of aberrant tau protein load, which scientists look at to uncover the underlying illness, were used to determine which CTE cases were more severe.
According to our study team's findings, every 4.4 years of extra football playing time doubles a person's risk of getting a more advanced stage of CTE. Among particular, possessing APOE e4 had an influence on CTE severity similar to playing football for an extra seven years, or more than doubling risk, in football players over the age of 65.
These discoveries, according to the researchers, provide light on the manner in which CTE develops and may present novel targets for therapies intended to halt or decrease CTE development.
Mez said, "Understanding the genetic basis of CTE pathology may give insights into disease mechanism and provides a precision medicine approach to harm reduction, including directing choices on participation in contact sports and giving a target for therapeutics."
Through a routine blood test that a doctor may prescribe and that is offered by 23andMe, APOE e4 can be easily detected in patients. It is often tested for by researchers in examinations of live subjects.
There is constant controversy about the consequences of testing, according to Mez, since it merely modifies risk and cannot definitively predict whether a disease would manifest itself. Additionally, comprehending and interpreting risk is challenging.
Source: https://www.bostonherald.com/
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