A new study on 111 families in which both parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease has found unsettling results for children. Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle found that 42 percent of those who were at least 70 years old and had both parents suffering from Alzheimer's also had the disease.

"That's greater than you would expect in the general population in that age group," researcher Dr. Thomas Bird told Reuters.

Younger children had less chance of having the disease, as expected. More than 22 percent of the adult children of the couples with Alzheimer's had the disease, while more than 30 percent of offspring were affected if they were older than 60.

The bottom line is that risk of developing Alzheimer's quadruples when both your parents are suffering from the crippling disease, but the figure needs to be confirmed by a broader study. This research, published in the Archives of Neurology, was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I think it confirms that there's a strong genetic component in the disease and that's not a surprise," said Dr. Bird to Reuters.

British researchers announced in late January that they developed a new infrared-blasting helmet, which could be the answer to reversing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The helmet was developed by Dr. Gordon Dougal, a researcher at the Virulite medical research company.

Dougal thought of using a safe level of infrared light on the human brain after it proved effective for treating cold sores. The researchers said that using infrared lasers, the helmet beams light directly into the brain to stimulate regeneration and this way patients can improve their cognitive function and begin remembering things.

Also, in mid-January, a major new study has found no benefit to Alzheimer's patients from cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, previously thought to reduce the risk of developing the disease.