title: Phenotypic profiles and functional genomics in Alzheimer's disease and in dementia with a vascular component.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with vascular component (DVC) are the most prevalent forms of dementia. Both clinical entities share many similarities, but they differ in major phenotypic and genotypic profiles as revealed by structural and functional genomics studies. Comparative phenotypic studies have identified significant differences in 25% of more than 100 parametric variables, including anthropometry, cardiovascular function, aortic atherosclerosis, brain atrophy, blood pressure, blood biochemistry, hematology, thyroid function, folate and vitamin B12 levels, brain hemodynamics and lymphocyte markers. The phenotypic profile of patients with DVC differs from that of AD patients in the following: anthropometric values (weight, height); cardiovascular function (ECG, heart rate); blood pressure; lipid metabolism (HDL-CHO, TGs); uric acid metabolism; peripheral calcium homeostasis; liver function (GOT, GPT, GGT); alkaline phosphatase; lactate dehydrogenase; red and white blood cells; regional brain atrophy (left temporal region, inter-hippocampal distance); and left anterior blood flow velocity. Functional genomics studies incorporating APOE-related changes in biological markers extended the difference between AD and DVC up to 57%. Brain perfusion studies show a severe brain hypoperfusion in dementia associated with enlarged age-dependent arterial perfusion times. Structural genomics studies with AD-related genes, including APP, MAPT, APOE, PS1, PS2, A2M, ACE, AGT, cFOS and PRNP genes, demonstrate different genetic profiles in AD and DVC, with an absolute genetic variation rate ranging from 30% to 80%, depending upon genes and genetic clusters. Single gene analysis identifies relative genetic variations ranging from 0% to 5%. The relative polymorphic variation in genetic clusters integrated by two, three or four genes associated with AD ranges from 1% to 3%. The main phenotypic differences between AD and DVC are genotype-dependent, especially in AD, probably indicating that different genomic factors are determinant for the expression of dementia symptoms which might be accelerated or induced by environmental and/or cerebrovascular factors.
authors.affiliation: EuroEspes Biomedical Research Center, Institute for CNS Disorders, EuroEspes Biotechnology (EBIOTEC), Coruña, Spain and Department of Biotechnology and Genomics, Camilo José Cela University, Madrid, Spain. cacabelos@euroespes.com
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cacabelos
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernández-Novoa
authors.forename: Lola
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corzo
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amado
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pichel
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D000886:Anthropometry; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D005819:Genetic Markers