A team of scientists in Alabama and California has uncovered a new genetic risk factor that they say doubles the risk of developing neurological diseases including FTD, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS.

In the study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers sequenced and analyzed whole genomes of more than 1,100 people with either FTD, Alzheimer’s or ALS, as well as people without a neurological condition. The findings suggest people with degenerative diseases were more likely to have changes in a gene named TET2, which is thought to encode a protein that maintains brain DNA.

Scientists say the findings “could make a real difference in finding earlier diagnosis and new treatments,” and plan to continue to research the role of the gene in the progression of neurological diseases. 

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