There are 700,000 cases of dementia in the UK, and this figure is predicted to rise with the ageing population. Besides the rare familial forms of Alzheimer’s, DS is the only known disorder in which one can so clearly expect early-onset dementia to develop.
Professor Tony Holland, of the Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, who is leading the research, said: ”Almost 100% of people with DS develop pathological signs of Alzheimer’s, and clinical symptoms are seen in DS around 40 years earlier than in the general population.”
The research team is looking for individuals with DS to volunteer to take part in the study. The team has produced a short film – www.youtube.com/user/downsproject – to explain the testing process.
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge