GWAS Suggests Dementia With Lewy Bodies Genetically Distinct
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – An international team led by investigators at University College London has identified a handful of genetic loci associated with a neurodegenerative condition known as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
The researchers brought together data from dozens of centers around the world for a genome-wide association study involving more than 1,700 individuals with DLB and nearly 4,500 without. As they reported online today in the Lancet Neurology, their analysis led to three genome-wide significant DLB-linked loci — a set that was largely distinct from variants implicated in related neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.
"Our findings clarify the disease's distinctive genetic signature, which should, in the future, help improve clinical trials, and lead to more targeted treatments," senior author Jose Bras, a molecular neuroscience researcher at University College London's Institute of Neurology and Alzheimer's Society, said in a statement.
Although DLB makes up a significant subset of overall dementia cases, the team explained, it can be tricky to distinguish it from Alzheimer's or Parkinson's due to overlap between some of the symptoms of these conditions.
Read more: http://bit.ly/genomewebDementia
The researchers brought together data from dozens of centers around the world for a genome-wide association study involving more than 1,700 individuals with DLB and nearly 4,500 without. As they reported online today in the Lancet Neurology, their analysis led to three genome-wide significant DLB-linked loci — a set that was largely distinct from variants implicated in related neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.
"Our findings clarify the disease's distinctive genetic signature, which should, in the future, help improve clinical trials, and lead to more targeted treatments," senior author Jose Bras, a molecular neuroscience researcher at University College London's Institute of Neurology and Alzheimer's Society, said in a statement.
Although DLB makes up a significant subset of overall dementia cases, the team explained, it can be tricky to distinguish it from Alzheimer's or Parkinson's due to overlap between some of the symptoms of these conditions.
Read more: http://bit.ly/genomewebDementia