Washington (H24N). It’s hard to imagine that one of the most talked about neurological disorders today, Alzheimer’s disease, was considered a rare disease only 40 years ago. Currently an estimated 4 million Americans suffer from this disease, with the numbers expected to rise substantially as the baby boomers head towards retirement and old age. A new study in the September issue of Neurology has found that a recessive gene may be involved in the degenerative brain disorder.

Studying a rural Arab community in Israel, Wadi Ara, researchers from Tel Aviv University were able to uncover unusual genetic roots that may be related to the development of Alzheimer’s. In Wadi Ara, 60 percent of people older than 85 have the disease. Worldwide, 40 percent of those over 85 have the disease.

Alzheimer’s researchers have already linked a variant gene called apoE to an increased Alzheimer’s risk. Roughly 15 percent of the people in the general population carry this variant, while less than 4 percent of Wadi Ara residents carry the variant. Therefore, if apoE did not account for the high percentage of Wadi Ara residents with Alzheimer’s, scientists reasoned that a recessive gene might be the cause.

Recessive genes are masked by dominant genes, and a person must inherit the recessive gene from both parents. Since Wadi Ara residents frequently marry within their families, chances of inheriting a recessive trait are much higher.

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