Their findings have triggered a further study to look at why people with the gene, called APOE4, are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

Although the gene has been known about for several years, scientists do not yet know how APOE4 increases the risk of dementia. Only some people with APOE4 will develop the condition, which affects more than 6,000 people in Oxfordshire alone, and not all people with dementia are carriers.

In a recent study, the researchers looked at young people aged 20-35, and older people aged 50-78. They found young healthy adults with the risk gene had normal memory and brain size, but differences in white matter – the communication pathways in the brain – compared to those without this gene.

Now a follow-up study, also funded by a £91,500 grant from the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, will see PhD student Verena Heise use state-of-the-art brain scanning techniques to look at how and why these differences occur.

Ms Heise, who worked on the original project, said:
“After more than a century of research, the cause for the disease remains largely unknown and there are still no drugs available to cure Alzheimer’s. Research is the only way we will be able to find the solution, and I hope the results of this project will bring us a step further towards reaching that goal.”

Her supervisor, Dr Clare Mackay, said:
“Our research has found disturbances in the structure and function of the brain in young healthy people with the gene, and this new research is vital to tell us why those changes occur. We also hope the project will be helpful for understanding why some people are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.”

Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:
“We are pleased to be funding this vital research, which we hope could give us some important clues about why some people are more prone to develop Alzheimer’s. More research like this is desperately needed if we are to find a cure or preventative treatment.”