A man, probably a Spaniard, brought a mysterious illness to the region of present-day Antioquia (Colombia) in the XVIII century. He had a unique genetic mutation, absent in previous generations, that caused an inescapable condemnation: sudden memory loss around the age of 44 and early Alzheimer's around the age of 49. It seemed like a curse. Today there are about 6,000 descendants in the Antioquia area and 1,200 of them carry that mutation, known as E280A or Paisa. Early dementia is so common that in some towns It has popular names, such as “la bobera”. A team of scientists presented this Monday an exceptional case, that of a man with the mutation who, however, did not suffer cognitive decline until he was 67 years old. This is patient J. His Alzheimer's began at age 72, more than two decades later than expected. Researchers believe that his case shows a new path to finding an effective treatment against the disease.
