NYT: ALZHEIMER'S, THE RAREST GENE

One family's deadly struggle with early-onset Alzheimer's has given scientists a window into the disease and its genetic origins.

When Chuck Jackson was only fourteen he was forced to nurse his 44-year-old mother through Alzheimer's. Now, at 53, he has it too. In fact much of Chuck's family has been struck by the disease. Scientists discovered they carry a rare genetic mutation that almost always triggers early-onset Alzheimer's. But this genetic quirk may also offer clues on how to prevent or delay the disease in others.

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