Smart gene KL-VS beats Alzheimer besides many other ailments including cognition related issues
Can a gene make you smart? If scientists are to be believed this is the reality of our life.
Researchers have come out with a path breaking discovery that concludes that KLOTHO gene or KL-VS is one of the smartest gene that help us in multiple ways. It improves cognition and helps us stay one step ahead of Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists are of the opinion that the people who are gifted with this gene naturally are smarter than others not just in their youth, but also in their old age.
Researchers have concluded that the discovery of the new gene can open up therapeutic avenues for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease besides of course dementia actually making people smarter than the rest of the population.
This is the first time that researchers have identified this gene with cognitive prowess. Earlier people said that it was part of a longevity gene, called KLOTHO. But now they have concluded that it is also behind improved brain skills such as thinking, learning and memory regardless of their age, sex or whether they have a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, the study said.
Suzana Petanceska the lead researcher says, "This shows the importance of genes that regulate the multiple aging processes involved in the maintenance of cognitive function". Petanceska is reportedly programme director of division of neuroscience at National Institute of Aging in the US. The study has concluded that people with one copy of a variant, or form, of the KLOTHO gene, called KL-VS, performed better on a battery of cognitive tests than participants who did not have it, regardless of age, sex or the presence of the apolipoprotein 4 gene, the main genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
It was a very representative study that discussed variety of cognitive skills, including learning, memory, and attention of more than 700 participants aged 52 to 85 years old as part of three studies. The KLOTHO gene provides the blueprint for a protein made primarily by the cells of the kidney, placenta, small intestine and prostate. A shortened version of the protein can circulate through the blood system. Blood tests showed that participants who had one copy of the KL-VS variant also had higher levels of circulating klotho protein.
Source : http://nvonews.com/smart-gene-kl-vs-beats-alzheimer/
