Alzheimer's 'more likely to be inherited from mother'

Individuals are much more likely to inherit Alzheimer's disease if their mother has the condition than if their father does, research has found.

Scientists at the University of Kansas studied 53 participants who did not have dementia, some of whose mothers had the condition, some whose fathers did and others who had no family history of the illness.

All subjects were given cognitive tests and brain scans throughout the process, and it was found that those whose mothers had Alzheimer's showed twice as much shrinkage in the brain as those with a father who had the condition.

Study author Dr Robyn Honea said that understanding the inheritance of the disease could pave the way for better prevention strategies.

"In people with a maternal family history of the disease, we found differences in the break-down processes in specific areas of the brain that are also affected by Alzheimer's disease, leading to shrinkage."

This comes after researchers from Kuakini Medical System in Honolulu said that around half of autopsies of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's failed to confirm the patient had the condition, with many exhibiting biological characteristics of other forms of dementia.

Find the nearest Barchester care home