The interleukin 1beta gene promoter polymorphism (-511) acts as a risk factor for psychosis in Alzheimer's dementia.
The explanation for why some patients develop psychotic change in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unclear. "Psychosis-modifier genes" may act in the setting of neurodegeneration to produce AD plus psychosis in a similar way to how genetic modulation during neurodevelopment leads to schizophrenia. Because there is increasing interest in the common disruption of cytokine pathways seen in both AD and schizophrenia, we tested the association between the functional interleukin-1beta -511 promoter polymorphism with delusions and hallucinations in AD. Significant associations between psychotic symptoms and the CC genotype (p = 0.001 - p = 0.043) and C allele (p = 0.014 vs p = 0.048) were found, thus confirming the previously noted increased risk in schizophrenia.
Craig
David
D
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, United Kingdom. david.craig@qub.ac.uk
Hart
Dominic J
DJ
McCool
Keira
K
McIlroy
Stephen P
SP
Passmore
A Peter
AP
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors
D007375:Interleukin-1