Some Families May Have Natural Protection Against Dementia, Mount Sinai School of Medicine Study

Resistance to dementia may run in families, according to a new study. Researchers found parents and siblings of people with normal brain function and high levels of a protein related to inflammation have a lower risk for dementia. "In very elderly people with good cognition, higher levels of C-reactive protein, which is related to inflammation, are associated with better memory," said study author Jeremy Silverman, a professor in the psychiatry department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "Our results found that the higher the level of this protein in the study participant, the lower the risk for dementia in their parents and siblings."