Based on the result of the test, the researchers say that you can, for example, decide whether or not to monitor the situation by regular medical checks and more in-depth medical exams. Furthermore, the link between the two diseases tells us a bit more about their origin. According to Licastro, "the core of the genetic risk profile consists of genes that are involved in synthesizing and transporting cholesterol and in controlling for inflammation, which, therefore, appears to be at the root of both diseases". This means that not only can you conduct tests to identify the diseases, you can also define appropriate life-styles to prevent heart and circulation problems and Alzheimer.

However, the researchers understand that technical ingredient that brought about the success of the test is likely to be controversial. Indeed, to study the DNA of their patients, they had to resort to an innovative statistical technique called grade of membership analysis. Although this approach is already applied to the study of other problems, from melanomas to schizophrenia, it is still being debated within the international scientific community. "However, it is only by using such statistical analyses", says Licastro, "that such diseases can be tested, conducting tests on only a few hundred cases. Classical statistics would require us to test 10, 12 or even 20 or 30 thousand cases".

In short, the debate is still open. Professor Federico Licastro and his group, which includes the very young Elisa Porcellini and Ilaria Carbone, will continue looking into the question in more depth, hoping to find new genetic links between the two diseases. Critics may contest the statistical results or even put forward counter tests based on classical statistics. For now, however, what everyone seems to agree on is that a healthy life-style that helps keep cholesterol and hypertension under control is not only beneficial to the heart but also to the brain.

Source: University of Bologna