Another gene linked to Alzheimer's disease has been found. Early this year, the gene SORL1 was discovered to be a factor in late-onset dementia, along with ApoE4. Scientists have found another clue to the mind degenerating disease.

According to journal Neuron, people with a damaged copy of the GAB2 gene are more susceptible to developing Alzheimer's in their later years. Late onset Alzheimer's hit one out of ten people over 65 and about 50 percent of people over 85. Researchers from the Institute of Neurology and other institutions studied DNA gathered from 1,411 people and found that GAB2 has an effect on ApoE4.

People with Alzheimer's commonly have protein "tangles" in their brains. It was found that GAB2 (if undamaged) stops a protein called tau that has a direct effect on the formation of the said tangles. So if a person has a bad copy of GAB2, tau runs amok and you know what happens next. Alzheimer's Society's director of research, Professor Clive Ballard had this to say:

This impressive research suggests a common gene could be responsible for a four-fold increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It is the most important risk factor gene to be identified in relation to tangles, which develop in the brain in Alzheimer's disease.