The animation above shows a nerve cell firing electric impulses known as action potentials. It also shows blood vessels that supply each nerve cell with oxygen and nutrients. In the absence of blood supply, nerve cells do not work, which causes or contributes to vascular and Alzheimer’s dementias, vascular depression and other brain diseases. Mutations in MTHFR, APOE and many other genes could contribute to this process. In our clinic we offer Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and advanced data analysis technologies to determine what exactly is the cause of your problem. Many emotional, cognitive and neurological problems can be understood and corrected with medications, nutrient supplementation or nutrient withdrawal.
Click to Interact in 3D and explore this nerve cell!
Image generated by www.biodigital.com
Genetic and environmental Alzheimer’s disease risk factors
Genetic factors are small variations in genetic code called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNPs (pronounced “snips”). These small changes may be responsible for a significant increase in Alzheimer’s disease risk. Environmental factors that increase the disease risk are depression, certain medications like Xanax, alcohol, lack of sleep or insufficient vitamin or hormone levels in your body.
Genetic risk factors
SNPs in the gene called APOE (or apolipoprotein E) are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Depending on their combination the disease risk could be low, moderate, high or very high. For example, a combination known as e3/e3 occurs in approximately 66% of people and carries a moderate disease risk. Combinations that include e4 such as e3/e4 and e4/e4 increase Alzheimer’s risk by approximately 3 to 35 times compared to e3/e3. The e2/e2 carriers are at a lower risk than most people but this combination occurs only rarely. Overall, there are are 6 possible combinations of APOE gene and each carry a different level of genetic risk for Alzheimer’s dementia.
Is it possible to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s?
Studies show that losing excess weight, stopping smoking and exercising regularly will significantly reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk. Surprisingly, individuals who are e4 allele carriers and are at an increased risk for Alzheimer’s, tend to benefit more from these simple health steps. This fact alone is a good reason to learn about your genetic makeup.
Remarkably, e4 carriers could experience mild memory loss even before they are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. However, if your genetic risk is low and you have memory problems, these problems could be caused by depression, certain medications like Xanax, or alcohol, lack of sleep, insufficient vitamin or hormone levels in your body. These are treatable conditions and should be discussed with your doctor without delay.
Planning for the future
Another good reason for knowing your genetic makeup and Alzheimer’s genetic risk is additional time and opportunity that this information provides for making important decisions about your property, your family and your future care.
There are many genetic tests available today that provide actionable information. However, interpretation of genetic tests requires specialized knowledge and may not be available everywhere. We specialize in genetic testing and will develop an individual treatment plan for you based on your genotype. If you have medical or emotional problems that evaded treatments, unusual reactions to medications, or had genetic testing done and would like to know what the results mean, do not delay – make an appointment today!
© 2018 MoodNote LLC All Rights Reserved
