
© Megan FarmerDoug Whitney, who lives near Seattle, Wash., inherited a mutation that has caused many family members to develop Alzheimer's disease at about age 50, yet he shows no sign of the illness at age 75
Study offers clues to treatment, preventionDoug Whitney, who lives near Seattle, Wash., inherited a mutation that has caused many family members to develop Alzheimer's disease at about age 50, yet he shows no sign of the illness at age 75. His case is the subject of a new study by WashU Medicine researchers that aims to identify potential routes to preventing or treating Alzheimer's based on Whitney's exceptional resilience to the disease.
Remarkably, Doug Whitney, 75, has escaped genetic destiny. Like many members of his family, Whitney inherited a rare genetic mutation that all but guarantees he would develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease. But Whitney, whose relatives first showed symptoms of cognitive decline in their early 50s, remains mentally sharp with no signs of the devastating disease, and a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why.
Their findings, published Feb. 10, 2025, in
Nature Medicine, point to potential therapeutic avenues to explore to help protect against the development of Alzheimer's.
Comment: Mr. Whitney is still actively exercising his cognitive faculties, as evidenced by his use of word puzzles games. This was noted as a positive factor in the famous 'Nun Study', begun in the early 1980s
His long-term exposure to a physically stressful environment also seems to be playing a part in his cognitive health. Wikipedia has this to say about heat shock proteins: