Alzheimer pathology of patients carrying apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele.
A recent report suggested that brains of Alzheimer patients homozygous for APOE epsilon 4 show increased amyloid pathology compared to APOE epsilon 3 homozygotes. We studied APOE allele frequencies in 73 AD patients and 38 controls. We also investigated relation of APOE genotypes to beta/A4 immunopositive plaques, cerebrovascular beta/A4 deposition, neurons expressing paired helical filaments (PHFs), and synaptophysin-like immunopositivity in 22 neuropathologically verified AD patients. We also correlated APOE genotypes of definite AD patients to beta/A4 immunoreactivity in dermal vessel walls detected in lifetime skin biopsy samples. APOE allele epsilon 4 frequency was increased in AD compared to nondemented controls (0.37 vs. 0.11; p = 0.006). The number of beta/A4 immunoreactive plaques, PHFs-containing neurons, the degree of cerebrovascular beta/A4 deposition or synaptophysin-like immunoreactivity did not differ significantly in AD patients with or without epsilon 4. beta/A4 deposition in dermal vessel walls was more frequent in definite AD patients with epsilon 4 (43%) than in patients without epsilon 4 (22%). However, the difference did not reach the statistical significance.
Heinonen
O
O
Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Kuopio, Finland.
Lehtovirta
M
M
Soininen
H
H
Helisalmi
S
S
Mannermaa
A
A
Sorvari
H
H
Kosunen
O
O
Paljärvi
L
L
Ryynänen
M
M
Riekkinen
P J
PJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply; D013569:Synapses; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D016708:Synaptophysin; D016875:tau Proteins