Ingmar Skoog, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Göteborg
Göteborg, Sweden

2003 Investigator-Initiated Research Grant

The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease climbs steadily as people age. This steady increase has led some researchers to suggest that the disease is an inevitable by-product of living—the gradual build-up of tiny errors in our genetic code or of toxic substances in our brain—and that if we all lived well beyond 100, most people would develop Alzheimer’s. Yet, some people live into their 90s and beyond with only slight decline in memory and other cognitive processes. Scientists are curious about whether these people have genes that protect them from dementia or whether they are protected by factors in their environment, ranging from what they were exposed to in the womb to what activities and diets they chose during adulthood.

To shed light on the factors that may protect some individuals from Alzheimer’s disease, Ingmar Skoog, MD, PhD, is gathering data from a unique group of more than 700 people aged 95 and older, about half of whom have Alzheimer’s. The study includes psychiatric examinations, interviews with friends and family, and a battery of medical tests. The researchers are also examining genetic differences between those who have Alzheimer’s and those who do not. Finding factors that correlate with a dementia-free old age may suggest strategies to help postpone or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.