Genetic association between the APOE*4 allele and Lewy bodies in Alzheimer disease.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the association between APOE*4 and pathologically confirmed cases of the Lewy body (LB) variant of Alzheimer disease (AD).


METHODS
With use of alpha-synuclein (AS) immunohistochemistry, LBs were detected in 74 of 131 (56.5%) of the AD + LB cases; the remaining 57 cases (43.5%) did not have LBs.


RESULTS
There were no differences in gender or age between Caucasian subjects with AD + LB or AD alone or control subjects. The APOE*4 allele frequency was highest in the AD + LB group (47.3%; 95% CI = 37.8 to 57.0%), intermediate in the AD-alone group (35.1%; 95% CI = 25.3 to 46.3%), and lowest in the control group (14.2%; 95% CI = 10.5 to 18.9%). With use of logistic regression analysis, the odds of having AD + LB vs AD alone were 2.1-fold (95% CI = 1.0 to 4.5, p = 0.055) greater in persons with an APOE*4 allele than in those without an APOE*4 allele.


CONCLUSIONS
The APOE*4 allele is associated with the presence of concomitant Lewy bodies in Alzheimer disease.
Tsuang
D W
DW
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. dwt1@u.washington.edu
Wilson
R K
RK
Lopez
O L
OL
Luedecking-Zimmer
E K
EK
Leverenz
J B
JB
DeKosky
S T
ST
Kamboh
M I
MI
Hamilton
R L
RL
D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016631:Lewy Bodies / Q000737:chemistry; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D051843:Synucleins; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D051844:alpha-Synuclein
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C497604:SNCA protein, human; D051843:Synucleins; D051844:alpha-Synuclein