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The conundrum has stumped doctors for years. Why do neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s affect only the elderly? Why do some people live to be over 100 with normal brain functioning while others develop dementia decades earlier?

Now, a new study by Harvard scientists points to a possible answer, one that could spark further research that — ultimately — could lead to new drugs and treatments for dementia.

Researchers have found that a protein active during fetal brain development, called REST, switches back on later in life to protect aging neurons from various stresses, including the toxic effects of abnormal proteins. But in those with Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment, the protein — RE1-Silencing Transcription factor — is absent from key brain regions.

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