Doctors Shocked After Woman with Alzheimer’s Disease Stays Cognitively 'Intact’: ‘Remarkable'

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of a woman in a wheelchair staring out a window.Photo:Getty

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A woman withDown syndromewho had all the “brain changes” ofAlzheimer’s diseasedidn’t exhibit any of the cognitive symptoms that are characteristic of the progressive dementia — and researchers hope her brain can lead to “profound discoveries” in treating the illness.

“Despite the presence of [Alzheimer’s disease] pathology, the participant demonstrated intact cognitive functioning,” the case study, documented inAlzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association,said.

Stock image of a nurse helping a patient using a walker.Getty

While not everyone with Down syndrome develops the progressive dementia, “almost all individuals with Down syndrome have significant levels of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles,abnormal protein depositsconsidered Alzheimer’s hallmarks,” according to theAlzheimer’s Association.

Head oversees the Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium—Down Syndrome Research Study. The woman who participated in the study decided to donate her brain to researchers following her death in her ’60s.

The woman, the study said, “remained cognitively stable up until her death.”

“It was remarkable to see a person escape the learning and memory changes yet still have brain changes,” Head toldNewsweek.

Researchers aren’t sure why she was able to escape the cognitive decline that is characteristic of Alzheimer’s; Jr-Jiun Liou, a postdoctoral scholar in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering, who examined her brain, told the outlet:  “We think that her cognitive stability could have been attributed to her high education level or underlying genetic factors.”

Scans of the woman’s brain.Alzheimer’s Association

Alzheimer’s Association

“If we can identify the genetic underpinnings or lifestyle factors that allowed her brain to function well despite the pathology, we may uncover strategies that could benefit others. This study shows how just one person’s participation in research can lead to profound discoveries,” Head said in a statement from theUniversity of Pittsburgh.

“We are grateful to the woman and her family of the gift for brain donation,” Head toldNewsweek. “This case study gives us real hope to unlock approaches to deliver this type of resilience for all those with or at risk for cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease.”

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source: people.com