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P3‐079: CSF biomarker levels, APOE genotype and the effect of aging
Author(s) -
Kester Maartje I.,
Bouwman Femke H.,
Elk Evert J.,
Blankenstein Marinus A.,
Scheltens Philip,
Flier Wiesje M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2008.05.1643
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , genotype , medicine , analysis of variance , allele , endocrinology , disease , gastroenterology , biology , genetics , gene
Background: We examined the influence of apoE genotype on CSF biomarkers amyloid beta-42 (A 42), total tau (tau) and tau phopshorylated at threonine 181 (ptau-181) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and controls. In addition we assessed if this association was modified by age. Methods: We included 250 AD patients and 154 controls. CSF levels of A 42, tau and ptau-181 were measured and apoE genotype was determined. Patients and controls were categorized in apoE4 negative and apoE4 positive groups. Results: Controls and AD patients did not differ in sex, but there was a difference in age (61 11 years vs 67 9, p 0.001). In controls, two-way ANOVA with apoE genotype and age (dichotomized at 65 years) as independent variables revealed main effects of apoE genotype and age for A 42 (p 0.001), but there was no interaction (p 0.78). By contrast, for tau and ptau-181 there were main effects for apoE genotype and age (p 0.001) and interactions between these factors (p 0.001). Old controls with the apoE4 genotype had higher levels of tau and ptau-181 than old controls lacking the apoE4 allele, without an effect of apoE genotype in young controls. In the group of AD patients, there were no main effects of apoE genotype or age, but there were interactions. Older apoE4 carriers had lower levels of A 42 than apoE4 non-carriers, without an effect for the young AD (interaction p 0.03). For tau and ptau-181 old apoE4 carriers had higher values than apoE4 non-carriers, while among young AD patients, we observed the opposite (interaction p 0.09 and p 0.08). Conclusions: We found that CSF biomarker levels were associated with apoE genotype and age in both AD patients and controls. This could imply that the cognitively healthy with the apoE4 genotype are more prone to develop AD pathology in aging. The opposite associations between apoE and CSF biomarkers in young and old AD patients might imply a different role of this gene in the pathophysiology of the disease.