In Alzheimer’s, the brain shrinks. Image: picture alliance / BSIP
Many people would like to have their own genome tested for their risk of Alzheimer’s, like actor Chris Hemsworth. But the result of such an analysis is sometimes difficult to digest.
Actor Chris Hemsworth has discovered that he has a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. During the shooting of a documentary series about longevity, a genetic test revealed a double variant of the so-called ApoE4 gene. More and more people are interested in such genetic tests, but what do the results say? Who benefits from the tests, and who do they even harm?
Johanna Kuroczik
Editor in the “Science” department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.
Getting to the basics: In Alzheimer’s disease, people’s cognitive abilities decline, the brain shrinks and nerve cells die. Those affected initially become forgetful, at some point they no longer recognize their relatives, lose their language, their personality changes and they die early.