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Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas had a rare genetic mutation and should have died from Alzheimer’s disease in her 60s. Instead, she lived dementia-free into her 70s, and now her brain is yielding important clues about the pathology of dementia and possible treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
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A woman who defied a genetic mutation that guarantees early-onset Alzheimer’s donates her brain to research
By Sonia Fernandez
Her life was nothing short of a miracle.
Born into an extended family of 6,000, all of whom share a rare genetic mutation that inescapably leads to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by the age of 45, Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas of Antioquia, Colombia, was the sole escapee of that fate. While much younger relatives began to deteriorate mentally and physically, she lived a normal life.
The phenomenon of Piedrahita de Villegas, who died recently at the age of 77, stunned the international team of neuroscientists who had been studying her family for decades.
Her life was nothing short of a miracle.
Born into an extended family of 6,000, all of whom share a rare genetic mutation that inescapably leads to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by the age of 45, Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas of Antioquia, Colombia, was the sole escapee of that fate. While much younger relatives began to deteriorate mentally and physically, she lived a normal life.
The phenomenon of Piedrahita de Villegas, who died recently at the age of 77, stunned the international team of neuroscientists who had been studying her family for decades.
“She was so fascinating because she had this mutation that just inevitably leads to Alzheimer’s disease and here she was, 70-something years old and still fine,” said UC Santa Barbara neuroscientist Kenneth S. Kosik, a member of that team. Thanks to Piedrahita de Villegas willingness to participate in their research, the scientists have gained important insights into the disease that affects an estimated 44 million peop