The study found that Alzheimer's disease and the new coronavirus have a common genetic risk factor

Researchers estimate that a genetic variant of the OAS1 gene will increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease in the entire population by about 3-6%, while related variants of the same gene will increase the likelihood of serious Covid-19 consequences

This discovery, published in the journal Brain, may open the door to new targets for drug development or tracking the progress of these two diseases, and shows that the developed treatments can be used for these two diseases

Dr.

"The brains of patients with severe Covid-19 infection may also have inflammatory changes

In this study, the research team tried to build on their previous work.

The OAS1 gene is expressed in microglia, which is an immune cell that accounts for about 10% of all cells in the brain

Their discovery added OAS1, an antiviral gene, to dozens of genes currently known to affect the risk of Alzheimer's disease

The researchers investigated four variants of the OAS1 gene, and they all suppressed its expression (activity)

As part of the same study, the researchers found in immune cells that mimic the effects of Covid-19 that the gene controls the amount of pro-inflammatory proteins released by the body's immune cells

OAS1's activities change with age, so further research on genetic networks may help understand why older people are more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, Covid-19, and other related diseases

PhD student Naciye Magusali (British Dementia Research Institute, University College London) said: “Our research shows that regardless of age, some people may be more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease and severe Covid-19 because of some of our immune systems.

After the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers at the British Dementia Institute at University College London turned their attention to investigating the long-term neurological consequences of the virus

Dr Saleh said: "If we can develop a simple method to detect these genetic variants when someone tests positive for Covid-19, then it may be more risky to identify the need for intensive care, but there is more work to be done for us.

“We are still continuing to study what happens once the immune network is activated in response to infections such as Covid-19, to see if it will cause any lasting effects or vulnerability, or if we understand the brain’s immune response to Covid-19 , Including the OAS1 gene, may help explain some of the neurological effects of Covid-19

The research involved researchers from University College London, University of Nottingham, Cardiff University and Nottingham Trent University

Journal Reference :

1. Naciye Magusali, Andrew C Graham, Thomas M Piers, Pantila Panichnantakul, Umran Yaman, Maryam Shoai, Regina H Reynolds, Juan A Botia, Keeley J Brookes, Tamar Guetta-Baranes, Eftychia Bellou, Sevinc Bayram, Dimitra Sokolova, Mina Ryten, Carlo Sala Frigerio, Valentina Escott-Price, Kevin Morgan, Jennifer M Pocock, John Hardy, Dervis A Salih.