Researchers from the University of California San Francisco and the Gladstone Institute have identified that a gene carried by 20 percent of the population can mitigate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

The scientists were studying a variant of the Klothos gene, also known as KL-VS, and discovered people who had the KL-VS gene performed better on cognitive function tests. When scientists duplicated the effect in mice, synaptic plasticity- the connections between neurons- was strengthened due to an increase of activity of a cell receptor associated with forming memories.

“Based on what was known about klotho, we expected it to affect the brain by changing the aging process,” said lead author Lennart Mucke, MD, director of neurological research at the Gladstone Institutes and professor of neurology and at UCSF. “But this is not what we found, which suggested to us that we were on to something new and different.”

The discovery provide a breakthrough into the insight of how genes improve cognitive ability and could revolutionize the treating of diseases like Alzheimer’s. Since higher levels of the klotho protein seem to increase cognitive function throughout the lifespan, artificially raising klotho levels could help build a cognitive reserve as a bastion against the disease.

Rather than prevent dementia, the increased klotho levels of a person offer a higher starting point of decline in cognitive function and ability.

It is estimated that roughly one person out of five of the population carry the KL-VS variant of the klotho gene. Previous research has also noted increased levels of klotho can lessen the potential for cardiovascular disease and is associated with longevity.

“These surprising results pave a promising new avenue of research,” said Dr. Roderick Corriveau program director at NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in a press release. “Although preliminary, they suggest klotho could be used to bump up cognition for people suffering from dementia.”

Researchers published their findings May 8 in the journal Cell Reports.