Exploring the link between genes and cognitive decline

Cognitive decline in older adults refers to the difficulties someone may experience later in life with:

• Thinking
• Memory
• Concentration
• Other brain functions

It can range from mild impairment to dementia, which can be severe enough to interfere with a person’s ability to manage their daily life. Cognitive decline is a major health concern around the world.

Identifying genes that may be responsible for increasing someone’s risk of experiencing cognitive decline could mean we are better able to support our aging population. Once these genes are identified they could be targeted with existing medication or new medication could be developed to slow decline.

Project aims

We worked with an industry partner to investigate the links between cognitive change and genes in a group of people who weren’t yet experiencing cognitive decline.

What we did

In collaboration with our industry partner, we used data from the TOMMORROW trial to conduct a genome-wide association study. A genome-wide association study compares the complete genetic information from many different people to find genetic markers associated with a particular type of or risk of disease.

We did this to potentially identify new genetic factors that could be affecting cognitive aging. We also tested associations with polygenic risk scores. Polygenic risk scores help us assess someone’s risk of developing an inherited disease by looking at their genetic information.

The TOMORROW trial was aimed at:

• Exploring if a new genetic test can determine if participants were at risk of developing mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease
• Assessing the effectiveness of a drug intended to delay the onset of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease

What next?

This work was conducted in collaboration with our industry partner, who may use our findings to develop new drugs aimed at slowing down cognitive decline.