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Can your face shape predict Alzheimer's disease?

Roberto Herrero, Yoanna Martinez-Diaz, Heydi Mendez-Vazquez, Joan Nieves, Augusto Gonzalez

May 19, 2026

Researchers analyzed facial landmarks in 200,000 Cuban men to create morphometric profiles of age groups, then linked genes controlling facial development to Alzheimer's risk. The argument: your face shape encodes your genetic background, which shapes disease susceptibility—making facial geometry a potential early warning sign. This works only if facial development and neurodegeneration share genetic roots.
Published as Face morphometric profiles of groups as early markers for certain diseases? arXiv:2605.20103
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