According to the findings of a new study, there is a connection between a person’s blood type and the structure of his brain matter. Also, there is a connection between the amount of grey matter in a person’s brain and his predisposition towards neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the study concludes that people who have blood type O are less prone to developing degenerative diseases of the brain, and particularly Alzheimer’s disease.
Aside from the amount of grey matter, there are many more factors that contribute to the degenerative processes that lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s. Also, there are other facts that can lead to an enriched grey matter aside from a person’s blood type. Nonetheless, it seems that this recent study offers great possibilities for future research.
The study was conducted by the University of Sheffield, that collaborated with the IRCCS San Camillo Hospital Foundation from Venice. The Department of Neuroscience has closely examined 189 brain scans and then cross-examined them in accordance to the blood type of the patients.
They have observed significant differences between the brain scans of the 4 blood types, but type O patients appeared to have considerably different brain structure than the others, as they were proven to have a higher proportion of grey matter in the posterior region of the cerebellum.
The other blood types displayed smaller proportions of grey matter in other regions as well, like the the temporal and limbic regions. Moreover, they displayed this pattern in the left hippocampus, which is a typical location associated with the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
This brain structure difference between blood types is most noticeable in older patients. This happens because after a certain age, the grey matter from the brain begins to decay naturally. And it is precisely the fact that type O individuals have more grey matter to spare that provides them with this additional capacity for protection from neurodegenerative diseases, and Alzheimer’s in particular, due to the location of the extra grey matter.
What Dr. Annalena Venneri wanted to clarify is that their study is only the baseline for future research regarding the development of brain tissue, in accordance to the 4 blood types, since their data clearly suggests the existence of such a pattern.
Moreover, she has pointed out the fact that it is of the utmost importance that the exact physiological route of this different development be described for the 4 blood types individually, so that the cause behind it be eventually revealed.
Image Source: mnn.com
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