While some studies suggest that mothers with Alzheimer’s disease may put you at a higher risk for the disease, a new study found that fathers with the disease may be associated with a greater spread of tau protein in the brain, a marker of the disease, a study published online on April 9, 2025. Neurology®Journal of Medicine American Society of Neurology. The study did not prove that a father with Alzheimer’s disease causes these brain changes. It only shows associations.
The study also showed that female participants may be more likely to develop the heavier tau protein than male participants.
“We were surprised to see that people with Alzheimer’s fathers are more susceptible to Tao’s transmission in the brain because we assumed we would see more brain changes in people with affected mothers,” the study authors said.
The study looked at 243 people who had a family history of Alzheimer’s disease but had no thoughts or memory problems at an average age of 68. A family history is defined as a parent who has the disease or has at least two conditions with the disease. Participants performed brain scans and at the beginning of the study, then tested their thinking and memory skills during the study, as they performed on average for nearly seven years.
During this period, 71 people developed mild cognitive impairment, the predecessor of Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers found that fathers with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as female participants, spread more in the brain. Female participants also accumulated tau protein more heavily in their brains.
“A better understanding of these vulnerabilities can help us design personalized interventions to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” Villeneuve said.
The limitation of this study is that whites constitute the majority of participants, so the results may not apply to other groups.
This study was obtained by the Canadian Institutes of Health, Quebec Research Fund-Health Fund, J. Louis Lévesque Foundation, Brain Canada Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association and Canadian Brain Canada Research.
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