Research

Alzheimer’s gene poses both risk — and benefits

Immune cells are more activated (red) in the brains of mice with the gene TREM2 (left) than in those without the gene (right). A new study shows that having a working copy of the gene TREM2 can reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease under certain conditions but worsen disease in others.
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Scientists drilling down to the molecular roots of Alzheimer’s disease have encountered a good news/bad news scenario. A major player is a gene called TREM2, mutations of which can substantially raise a person’s risk of the disease. The bad news is that in the early stages of the disease, high-risk TREM2 variants can hobble the immune system’s ability to protect the brain from amyloid beta, a key protein associated with Alzheimer’s.