Dr. Ian Weaver, an associate professor at Dalhousie University's psychology and neuroscience department, is seen with the model of a human brain in a lab at the department Friday February 17, 2023. He and his researchers have found that a protein related to Alzheimer's disease not only forms a plaque on the brain but can bind directly to DNA in brain cells.
:Dr. Ian Weaver, an associate professor at Dalhousie University, is seen in the psychology and neuroscience department Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. - Tim Krochak According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, about 597,000 Canadians had dementia in 2020 and that number is expected to hit 955,900 by 2030. The researchers also found Abeta42 activity at the DNA level lowers the production of an important human hormone called IGF2, or insulin-like growth factor 2. This hormone plays an essential role in growth and development before birth.