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Epidemiological, Clinical, and Neuropathological Study of Apolipoprotein E Genotype in Alzheimer's Disease
Author(s) -
HYMAN BRADLEY T.,
GOMEZISLA TERESA,
REBECK G. WILLIAM,
BRIGGS MEGAN,
CHUNG HAEYONG,
WEST HOWARD L.,
GREENBERG STEVEN,
MUI STINA,
NICHOLS SUSAN,
WALLACE ROBERT,
GROWDON JOHN H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1996.tb32592.x
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , epidemiology , disease , genotype , alzheimer's disease , medicine , neuropathology , pathology , biology , genetics , gene
Our studies of the APOE genotype in AD confirm a strong association of the epsilon 4 allele with development of AD and a decreased risk associated with epsilon 2. From a clinical/neuropathological perspective, the major effects of APOE epsilon 4 are to lower the age of onset and to increase the amount of A beta deposit in the brain. Neither rate of progression nor number of neurofibrillary tangles were affected. We also carried out a longitudinal population-based assessment of the APOE genotype to determine the risk for developing cognitive impairment of someone in the general population based on APOE genotype. APOE epsilon 4 carried about 1.4-fold increased risk, and APOE epsilon 2 about 1.7-fold decreased risk. Thus, inheritance of APOE epsilon 4 is a major biological risk factor for AD, but it has limited utility as a prognostic indicator for development of dementia in an individual.