Having a mother with Alzheimer’s could lead to a higher risk of inherited disease than a paternal history.

That’s according to a recent study from Mass General Brigham. Researchers analyzed 4,400 adults between ages 65 and 85 who did not have any signs of cognitive decline, but did have amyloid show up in brain-imaging scans.

The people with the higher amounts of amyloid were more likely to have mothers with symptoms of Alzheimer’s — primarily memory loss, the researchers found.

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Amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brain and forms plaques that affect cognitive function, is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The findings were published in JAMA Neurology in June.

“Our study showed a striking asymmetry in the impact of maternal versus paternal history of dementia on the risk of offsprings’ brain amyloid-beta protein accumulation, with maternal history having a greater impact,” senior corresponding author Hyun-Sik Yang, M.D., a neurologist at Mass General Brigham, told Fox News Digital via email. 

“In our study, maternal history of dementia increased their children’s risk of having preclinical AD, while paternal history had less impact.”

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The researchers — a collaborative team from Mass General Brigham, Vanderbilt and Stanford — expected to see similar genetic risks to be passed down by mothers and fathers, Yang noted.

“Our results suggest otherwise, raising intriguing questions about AD genetics and how AD risk is inherited,” he said.

“In our study, maternal history of dementia increased their children’s risk of having preclinical AD, while paternal history had less impact,” a researcher said. (iStock)

The participants in the study had what is referred to as “preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,” Yang noted, which occurs when there is amyloid buildup but no symptoms.

“This stage might represent a unique opportunity to treat AD before it irreversibly destroys the brain,” he said.

The researchers also found a correlation between amyloid buildup and a history of Alzheimer’s on both sides of the family, as well as fathers with early-onset dementia.

“It’s interesting from a genetic perspective to see one sex contributing something the other sex isn’t.”

“If your father had early onset symptoms, that is associated with elevated levels in the offspring,” said Mabel Seto, PhD, first author and a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurology at the Brigham, in a press release. 

“However, it doesn’t matter when your mother started developing symptoms — if she did at all, it’s associated with elevated amyloid.”

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Women are nearly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men, according to data from the Alzheimer’s Society.

“It’s really interesting from a genetic perspective to see one sex contributing something the other sex isn’t,” Seto said.

Limitations of the study

Courtney Kloske, PhD, director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, Illinois, was not involved in the study but shared her insights on the findings.

“This study sheds light on the interplay between genetics and cognition in individuals with a family history of cognitive decline,” Kloske told Fox News Digital in an email.

A protein called amyloid that builds up in the brain and forms plaques — affecting cognitive function — is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)

The expert did point out some limitations in the study, which the researchers also acknowledged.

“The authors mention that their findings should be interpreted cautiously,” she said.

One key limitation was that the study participants self-reported their family history, which could introduce some degree of bias or inaccuracy.

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“Additionally, the generally longer lifespan of women compared to men may contribute to the higher observed prevalence of cognitive impairment among women,” Kloske added.

Yang also spoke to this limitation, adding that the study participants were older adults and that the average life expectancy was shorter in their parents’ generation, especially for males.

While having elevated amyloid levels significantly increases the risk of someone eventually having dementia, more research is needed to determine the full impact of family history on the course of Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Newsroom)

“That might have made it even more challenging to assess the actual risk of dementia in their fathers, as they might have passed away before getting to the age when dementia becomes more prevalent,” he said.

Another consideration, according to Kloske, is that the parents in the current study lived in a “different, earlier era” when women were less likely to be in the workforce and had lower levels of education. 

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“These trends limit the generalizability of these results,” she said.

Yang also reiterated that none of the study participants had dementia — “we asked about their family history and matched them with the amyloid PET scan results.”

While having elevated amyloid levels significantly increases the risk of someone eventually having dementia, Yang noted, more research is needed to determine the full impact of family history on the course of Alzheimer’s disease.

Women are nearly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men, according to data from the Alzheimer’s Society. (iStock)

“We think it is important for doctors evaluating dementia patients to gather detailed family history information, including the history of both parents and their age at onset if there was a memory loss or dementia history,” he said.

It is also important to seek out ways to decrease the risk, especially if someone has a family history, according to the researcher.

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“Lifestyle and environmental factors are thought to play a significant role in dementia risk,” Yang said. 

“I always tell my patients to focus on a healthy lifestyle, such as a heart-healthy diet, regular physical activity, and a socially and intellectually active lifestyle.”

A spinal cord injury can be life-altering – and the potential for infertility is often a devastating blow as well.

Among men who experience spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the U.S., nearly eight in 10 have fertility and reproduction issues due to erectile dysfunction or poor sperm quality.

But one clinic in Miami, Florida, is on a mission to help men with SCIs start a family.

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The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has aided in the birth of 200 babies since the 1990s.

Fox News Digital spoke with Dr. Emad Ibrahim, director of the Male Fertility Research Program, about how “amazing” this achievement has been.

The doctor said “nothing beats the feeling” of finding out one of his patients is expecting a child.

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“Every time we get an email with an ultrasound picture that shows the baby … it’s a mission accomplished,” he said. “It’s the most gratifying sensation you’ll ever have.”

Ibrahim, an associate professor of urology and neurological surgery at UMiami, said the clinical research program is “very unique” in its quest to help men father their own children through techniques rarely found elsewhere.

New dads Eric Rosemary, left, and Darris Straughter, right, both underwent procedures with the Miami Project under the direction of Dr. Ibrahim, center. (Eric Rosemary; The University of Miami)

While men with erectile dysfunction can be given medication to address this issue, men with ejaculatory dysfunction face a bigger challenge that the Miami clinic addresses through two unique procedures.

The two techniques include penile vibratory stimulation and electroejaculation, both FDA-approved and selected based on the nature of the spinal cord injury.

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The electroejaculation machine activates and contracts the glands responsible for producing sperm. (The machine is also available in Sweden, its only other location besides Miami.)

This method is guaranteed to be successful “almost 100% of the time,” according to Ibrahim.

‘Amazing’ fatherhood

Men from all over the U.S., and even outside the country, have come to seek this treatment — including Darris Straughter, 44, a Miami native.

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Straughter was a victim of gun violence in 2018, he told Fox News Digital in an interview.

While sitting at a traffic light, he was shot eight times. The injuries left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Darris Straughter plays with his daughter, who will turn 2 on Aug. 5, 2024. Straughter was paralyzed by gunfire in 2018. (The University of Miami)

“I don’t feel anything,” he said. “It’s a crazy situation. You just have to roll with the punches and keep moving and try to stay positive.”

Despite the incident, Straughter — who already had one child of his own — was determined to provide children for his wife.

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“I kept saying, ‘She deserves a kid,’” he said. “She was by my side the whole time. So, I was like, ‘I’m going to try any way possible to make it happen.’”

Straughter received treatment from Ibrahim, which ultimately led to his wife’s successful pregnancy. His daughter is now almost 2 years old and is “healthy and strong,” he said.

“[Fatherhood] is amazing. It’s so joyful,” he said. “I just love everything about it.”

“I pray God continues to guide us on a great path,” Straughter, pictured with his wife and daughter, told Fox News Digital. (The University of Miami)

Fellow Florida resident Eric Rosemary, 46, also found success at the Miami facility after a Memorial Day accident 15 years ago left him paralyzed.

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“I was on a boat … in West Palm Beach, and I fell off the boat and shattered my C4, C5, C6 vertebrae and became a quadriplegic,” he said. 

Rosemary, who has been married for eight years, told Fox News Digital that he turned to the Miami Project when the timing was right to have kids.

Eric Rosemary of Florida, pictured with his family, said the Miami Project is “leading the way” in helping people with spinal cord injuries adapt. (Eric Rosemary)

Rosemary was previously involved in clinical trials with the project.

He and his wife have since had two sons, born in 2020 and 2023, after three attempts at the first pregnancy and two attempts with the second.

“When you first get injured, there are so many other things you have to worry about,” Rosemary said.

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“In my 30s, I was able to cope with having a spinal cord injury, rebuilding my business, re-building my life, then getting married and having my boys,” he continued. “I was fortunate enough that I had the time to do that.” 

As patients who have suffered from an SCI mainly focus on mobility and medical care at first, sexual function is usually “brushed off,” Ibrahim noted.

Darris Straughter, pictured in the background with his daughter, is now a stay-at-home dad. His wife is shown in the foreground.  (The University of Miami)

“They rarely talk about fertility,” he said. “And unfortunately, we still have some rehab centers in remote areas in the country that will tell these patients, ‘Forget it. You’re not going to have any children.’”

He added, “If [providers] knew that our program exists, and they could actually refer the patients to us, that would be of great help.”

Ongoing research

As the Miami Project’s procedures have shown excellent results, more research on a potential fertility treatment is underway, Ibrahim revealed.

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The program was awarded a $3.24 million, 40-year grant in July 2023 from the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct a clinical trial to study a drug called Probenecid, which was previously used to treat gout.

Dr. Ibrahim specializes in reproductive and sexual dysfunction in men with spinal cord injuries. He said “nothing beats the feeling” of finding out one of his patients is expecting a child. (The University of Miami)

Through years of research, Ibrahim and his team found that this drug targets the internal issues that some SCI patients experience, he said.

In the pilot study, which included 18 patients with spinal cord injuries, Ibrahim reported that all participants saw improved sperm quality.

“The medication is safe, and we have the publication to support that it works,” he said.

The larger clinical trial is currently ongoing as the Miami Project is in search of new volunteers.

• Type 2 diabetes patients on GLP-1 treatments, such as Ozempic, have a lower risk of 10 obesity-related cancers compared to those on insulin and other drugs, according to a new study.
• GLP-1 treatments for type 2 diabetes have been on the market for nearly 20 years, improving blood sugar control and inducing weight loss.
• Ozempic, approved in 2017, was one of the first in its class.

Patients with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 treatments, which include Ozempic, have a lower chance of developing 10 types of obesity-related cancers than those taking insulin and other diabetes drugs, according to a study published on Friday.

GLP-1 treatments for type 2 diabetes have been on the market for nearly 20 years. The newer generation – such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro – are far more effective at controlling blood sugar levels and inducing weight loss. Ozempic was the first of the newer generation in the class to be approved, in 2017.

In the study published on Friday in medical journal JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the medical records of 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes who had no prior history of 13 types of obesity-related cancers including gallbladder cancer and kidney cancer.

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The study did not specify which GLP-1 medicines the patients took, but the records were for patients on these medicines or insulin or the diabetes drug metformin between March 2005 and November 2018. Ozempic was only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2017.

The study found that the patients treated with a GLP-1 therapy instead of insulin “had a significant risk reduction” in 10 of those cancers.

The findings are “preliminary evidence of the potential benefit” of GLP-1 drugs for cancer prevention in high-risk population, the researchers concluded. They also said that studies of the newer generation of these medicines for their cancer preventative effects are warranted.

The authors of the study did not report having received funds from drugmakers who market these medicines.

The versions of these medicines that are approved to treat obesity, and have been shown to help patients lose as much as 20% of their weight on average, have exploded in popularity, leading to record profits for Novo and Lilly.

Lilly’s Mounjaro and weight-loss therapy Zepbound, as well as Novo’s rival medicines Ozempic and Wegovy are already being studied to see whether they can improve health in many other ways, ranging from alcohol addiction to sleep apnea.

In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy for lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack in overweight or obese adults who do not have diabetes.