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Scientists know that age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, but aging alone doesn't explain why some people develop the condition while others do not. Genetics, lifestyle factors and environmental influences also appear to play a role. Researchers are working to understand how these factors interact in the brain, explains Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist and neuroscience chair at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. It affects memory, thinking, behavior and the ability to carry out everyday activities.

"For many years, Alzheimer's research has focused on two proteins found in the brain: amyloid and tau. The buildup of these proteins is one of the best-known features of the disease," Ertekin-Taner says. "While these proteins remain important, researchers now recognize that Alzheimer's is a complex disease involving many biological processes beyond amyloid and tau."

A recent Mayo Clinic study explored another piece of the puzzle: changes in how the brain turns genes on and off.

Genes are sections of DNA that provide instructions for how cells work. Cells can control which genes are active and which remain inactive, allowing them to carry out different functions without changing the underlying DNA sequence. Scientists call this process epigenetics. These chemical changes can influence how cells behave and respond to aging, disease and environmental factors.

In the study, researchers examined brain tissue from hundreds of people with Alzheimer's disease and looked for patterns in these gene-regulating changes.

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