Two protective genetic pathways may converge to reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk

September 21, 2026
8:55 pm

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia worldwide. Although the APOE ε4 allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, not all carriers develop dementia, indicating that other genetic factors can modify disease risk. In recent years, PLCG2 has emerged as one of the most important protective genes associated with Alzheimer's disease.

In two recent studies published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy and Nature Genetics, researchers investigated how protective PLCG2 variants influence Alzheimer’s disease risk and how the APOE genotype shapes the underlying genetic architecture of the disease.

The studies combined data from FinnGen, UK Biobank, EADB, FINGER and several other international Alzheimer’s disease cohorts comprising hundreds of thousands of individuals.

Two protective genetic pathways may converge to reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk

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