Called calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1), the gene controls the flow of calcium in and out of cells, influences the formation of "plaques" composed of clumps of a protein, beta-amyloid, which is believed to damage brain cells in the disease.
The gene is predominantly active in a region of the brain that is hit early in the disease, where it acts as a channel for calcium, researchers say in a new report in the June 27th issue of the journal Cell.
The team of researchers led by Dr. Philippe Marambaud of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and Albert Einstein College Of Medicine and Dr. Fabien Campagne of the Weill Medical College Of Cornell University say the gene appears to restrict a brain cell's ability to take in calcium.
The new findings come just as another group has reported the identification of an imbalance of calcium in early-onset Alzheimer's disease, linked to a calcium release ion channel. Drugs that target calcium channels already exist, though not the ones this gene controls.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a massive loss of neurons in several brain regions and by the presence of beta-amyloid-plaques. The disorder, which causes senility and can lead to death, affects an estimated 5.2 million Americans.
The Alzheimer's Association predicted earlier this year that it will strike one in eight Baby Boomers, and that number is expected to climb as the population ages.
