title: Epidemiological, clinical, and neuropathological study of apolipoprotein E genotype in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Hyman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gomez-Isla
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Rebeck
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mui
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Growdon
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008404:Massachusetts; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E