There are 2 chromosomal regions that may harbor familial late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) causative mutations, according to a study of 282 families of Caribbean Hispanic descent, including 67 with LOAD. Researchers found:
• There are at least 26 regions linked to LOAD.
• 13 of the regions were validated using the entire family sample.
• The strongest signal was at 11q12.3 a locus located ∼2 Mb upstream of the membrane-spanning 4A gene cluster.
• There is also a locus at 7p14.3, a region harboring genes associated with the nervous system.
Citation: Barral S, Cheng R, Reitz C, et al. Linkage analyses in Caribbean Hispanic families identify novel loci associated with familial late-onset Alzheimer's disease. [Published online ahead of print September 30, 2015]. Alzheimers Dement. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2015.07.487.