Alzheimer's...

Today I was doing some reading and came across this.....

Most of us know that DS means an extra 21st Chromosome.  Many of us are now learning that the extra chromosome has hundreds of extra genes leading to unbalanced brain chemistry that impairs memory, learning, and communication, and includes genes related to Alzheimer's disease.  Beginning at birth, a person with DS is developing Alzheimer's Disease brain chemistry.  This affects them as children in school, and many can expect full onset in their early forties.  In fact, Alzheimer type amyloid plaques are already present in a DS affected brain by 4 months old!  There is great news that progress is being made in re-regulating this chemistry in leading university labs, pharmaceutical labs, and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  DS learning and memory issues are solvable medical problems, and progress has even been made (some of it funded by our 2010 golf tourney right at University of Texas at Austin) in mitigating the Alzheimer pathway.

Today I WISH was a forgetful kind of day...


The Mommy