title: Influence of variation in the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor gene (FSHR) and age at menopause on the development of Alzheimer's disease in women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The higher prevalence of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) in women may be explained by their longer life expectancy, but also by biological gender-specific factors such as a woman's past fertility.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the relationship between fertility and susceptibility to AD in women by studying two polymorphisms at codons 307 and 680 of the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor gene (FSHR) involved in determining human fertility. The role of age at menopause (AM) as a gender-specific AD susceptibility determinant was also examined. The study population comprised 291 AD patients (70.1% women) and 134 controls (63.4% women).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Logistic regression analysis showed that only among the women the FSHR AS/AS genotype was associated with a significantly lower risk of AD (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15-0.85), suggesting a gender-specific protective role of the FSHR genotype against AD susceptibility. A lower age at natural menopause was observed in the AD patients (49.7 ± 2.53) than in the controls (50.7 ± 2.53, p = 0.02) and on linear regression analysis an association emerged between an earlier AM and an earlier AD onset (p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic and non-genetic gender-specific factors may contribute to the AD pathogenesis in women, although further investigations are required to clarify their actual role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. rosamaria.corbo @ uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Rosa Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Corbo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gambina
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Broggio
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scacchi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011962:Receptors, FSH / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D011962:Receptors, FSH; D004247:DNA