title: Alzheimer's disease in Brazilian elderly has a relation with homocysteine but not with MTHFR polymorphisms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between total plasma homocysteine concentration, C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in MTHFR gene and Alzheimer's disease (AD) development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-three patients with probable (63%) and possible (37%) AD and 50 non-demented controls were evaluated. Groups did not differ as to gender, age, scholar years, diabetes, alcohol and coffee intake and physical activity. Total plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels were determined by HPLC and genotyping for MTHFR by PCR/RFLP. Mann-Whitney "U" test was used to compare quantitative variable, Fisher-Freeman-Halton test to compare genotypes and allele proportions and Chi-square test to other qualitative variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AD patients presented higher total plasma Hcy levels than controls and the difference was statistically significant. No differences in the C677T and A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms distributions were found between patients and controls. Plasma homocysteine concentration did not change with MTHFR genotypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirms the association between increased plasma Hcy concentration and AD and suggests that neither C677T nor A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms contributed to genetic susceptibility for AD in elderly individuals in the Northeast of Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa Cavalcante
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Flávio José da Costa
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Elizabete Malaquias
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Paulo Roberto
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: de Brito-Marques
authors.forename: Márcia Nery de Holanda
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.forename: Vânia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: D'Almeida
authors.forename: José Eulálio
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cabral-Filho
authors.forename: Maria Tereza Cartaxo
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Muniz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D006710:Homocysteine; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)