New research has found that people whose fathers had Alzheimer’s disease may be more likely to develop early brain changes linked to the condition.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, focused on a protein called tau that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Surprisingly, the researchers found a stronger link between tau buildup and having a father with Alzheimer’s than with having a mother who had the disease.
In the past, many studies have suggested that if your mother had Alzheimer’s, you might be more at risk. But this new study from McGill University in Canada offers a different perspective.
Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve, who led the study, explained that her team expected to see more brain changes in people whose mothers had Alzheimer’s. Instead, they found a stronger pattern of tau protein spreading in the brains of those whose fathers had the condition.
The study included 243 people who had a family history of Alzheimer’s but were still mentally healthy when the study began. Their average age was 68. Family history in this study meant that either one or both parents had Alzheimer’s, or at least two of their siblings did. None of the participants had memory or thinking problems at the start.
To track how the brain changed over time, researchers used brain scans and gave participants tests that measured their memory and thinking skills. These checks were done at the beginning of the study and repeated over time. The participants were followed for almost seven years.
During those years, 71 people began to show signs of mild cognitive impairment. This is often an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, where people start to notice memory issues or trouble with clear thinking, though the symptoms aren’t severe yet.
The brain scans showed something important. People whose fathers had Alzheimer’s were more likely to have tau protein spreading in their brains. Tau is one of the main signs of Alzheimer’s. As it spreads, it interferes with brain cells and damages memory and thinking abilities.
The study also found that women were more vulnerable to a heavier buildup of tau than men. Female participants had both a wider spread and higher amounts of tau protein in the brain. This may help explain why more women than men are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s later in life.
Dr. Villeneuve said that knowing these risk patterns—especially those related to family history and sex—can help in the future. If doctors know who is more likely to be affected, they might be able to offer personalized advice or treatments before symptoms even begin. Preventing or slowing the spread of tau early could be a key to delaying the disease or reducing its impact.
However, the study had some limits. Most of the people who took part were white, so it’s not clear if the same results would apply to people from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. More research is needed to confirm these findings in more diverse populations.
In conclusion, this study shows that having a father with Alzheimer’s may increase your risk of early brain changes tied to the disease, especially the spread of tau protein. It also highlights that women may be more at risk of heavy tau buildup.
These discoveries suggest that both family history and biological sex are important in understanding who may be more vulnerable to developing Alzheimer’s. While more research is needed, this study offers new insights that could one day lead to better prevention and treatment options.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about Vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and Oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing flavonoid-rich foods could improve survival in Parkinson’s disease.
The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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