Gordon Lab Study Yields Clues to Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Damage

Headshot of Brian A. Gordon, PhD, assistant professor of radiology.

Brian A. Gordon, PhD, assistant professor of radiology for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and members of the Gordon Neuroimaging Lab studied why certain parts of the brain are particularly vulnerable to damage from Alzheimer’s disease.

To understand why Alzheimer’s brain damage occurs where it does, the team of researchers studied the brain scans of 350 volunteers and measured the amount and location of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, and the volumes of various brain areas. They found parts of the brain where the gene APOE — the greatest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease — is most active are the areas that sustain the most damage. Their findings are published in Science Translational Medicine.

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