Researchers are finding clues about why some people get serious brain-related diseases like ALS and a form of dementia called FTD later in life.
Surprisingly, some signs appear before you’re even born. The findings could open new doors for understanding and treating these diseases.
Understanding the Problem: Special Genes and Brain Growth
Both ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) and FTD usually show up in adults. ALS affects your ability to move and can be fatal in just a few years.
FTD messes with your behavior, personality, and language. Up to 10% of people with these diseases have mutations in a specific gene called C9ORF72.
A team of researchers at the University of Southern California looked closely at how this gene affects brain development even before birth. They found that the gene messes with the growth of certain brain regions.
It actually makes some parts of the brain smaller than they should be. These changes can happen decades before someone shows any symptoms of either disease.
So, what’s going on during pregnancy? The scientists took cells from patients who had this gene mutation and turned them into the kind of cells that make the nervous system when a baby is growing in the womb.
Compared to normal cells, these special cells weren’t able to make enough new cells and started acting like mature neurons too soon. This suggests that the gene is causing issues really early on, maybe even before the baby is born.
Real-World Check: Mice Studies
To see what these findings might mean for actual living beings, the scientists turned to mice.
They found that mice with the same gene issues also had smaller brain regions and even weighed less when they were still embryos.
The mice also became clumsy and had other problems when they grew up, similar to symptoms of the diseases.
What’s Next: Finding Solutions
According to Justin Ichida, who led the study, these findings could be a big step forward. “Our study offers some clues about how a baby’s brain development might connect to brain diseases in adults,” he said.
If these gene issues are causing problems from such an early stage, tackling them early might be a new way to fight these diseases.
The study might also encourage doctors to look for these early brain changes as a sign of risk, helping people get earlier diagnoses and treatment.
With diseases like ALS and FTD, getting a head start could make all the difference.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and Vitamin B supplements could help reduce dementia risk.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that a high-fiber diet could help lower the dementia risk, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was published in Cell Reports.
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