Alzheimer\'s Research in Seminar Popular

ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH

In seminar

Popular vs. journal article reviews: Alzheimer's research

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating, progressive illness for both the sufferers of the illness as well as the patients' families. Because of the widespread prevalence of the disease, it is not uncommon to see scientific journal articles on the topic distilled into the popular media. This is evident in the New York Times piece entitled: "In blacks, Alzheimer's study finds same variant genes as in whites" by Gina Kolata. According to Kolata, African-Americans have a slightly higher rate of developing Alzheimer's than European-Americans. However, the study that was profiled determined that the genetic factors which increase one's risk of developing the condition are the same for both groups.

African-Americans "with Alzheimer's disease were slightly more likely to have one gene, ABCA7, that is thought to confer risk for the disease" while both groups were equally likely to have APoE4, which has been proven to increase Alzheimer's risk in older Caucasian populations. "ABCA7 was not very common, still leaving most Alzheimer's risk unexplained" (Kolata 2012). For an article in a popular newspaper, Kolata's article is surprisingly detailed. It is also very realistic and cautious in terms of evaluating the significance of the research findings. Other researchers in the field of genetics note that the associations of the genes in the study and Alzheimer's have long been noted, and it is unsurprising that these findings were generalizable across racial categories. Kolata is also very detailed and precise in her explication of possible reasons why ABCA7 may be so significant: "ABCA7 also moves proteins through the membranes that encase cells. One of the proteins it transports is a precursor of beta amyloid, the major component in the brain plaques found in Alzheimer's disease" as well as influences the development of cholesterol build-up (which may be a possible explanation why Alzheimer's patients often have heart disease)" (Kolata 2012).

The original journal article views the research being conducted regarding "genetic variants associated with susceptibility to late-onset Alzheimer's disease" to be much more significant than the commentators in the New York Times article, and stresses the lack of previous research conducted specifically on African-American populations (Reitz et al. 2013: 1483). It notes that although genetic markers "are known for individuals of European ancestry, but whether the same or different variants account for the genetic risk of Alzheimer disease in African-American individuals" was unknown before the study (Reitz et al. 2013: 1483). In contrast, the Kolata piece seemed to suggest that the association was very much a 'known' quantity, even though it had not yet been directly proven. The conclusion of the article restates what is noted in the Times piece, namely that there are no significant genetic variations between the patterns of susceptibility in the two groups.