Articles: apolipoproteins-e.
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Comparative Study
Apolipoprotein E genotype influences cognitive 'phenotype' in patients with Alzheimer's disease but not in healthy control subjects.
We examined the association of apolipoprotein E (apo E) genotype with cognitive performance in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients and in normal subjects. One hundred fifty-seven AD patients, 35 MCI patients who developed AD during longitudinal follow-up, and 341 normal control subjects from the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry were studied. All participants were typed for apo E using polymerase chain reaction-based assay, epsilon 4+ and epsilon 4- groups were compared on cognitive factor scores of Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Attention/Concentration, Learning, and Retention. ⋯ In the AD and MCI samples, epsilon 4+ status was associated with greater memory impairment in analyses including duration of illness as a covariate. In combined AD + MCI analyses, epsilon 4 homozygosity was associated with poorer retention, learning, and verbal comprehension at a given disease duration. Possession of the epsilon 4 genotype may influence cognition in a dose-response relationship.
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To examine more closely the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype and Alzheimer disease (AD) by age and sex in populations of various ethnic and racial denominations. ⋯ The APOE epsilon4 allele represents a major risk factor for AD in all ethnic groups studied, across all ages between 40 and 90 years, and in both men and women. The association between APOE epsilon4 and AD in African Americans requires clarification, and the attenuated effect of APOE epsilon4 in Hispanics should be investigated further.
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Variation in outcome after head injury is not fully explained by known prognostic features. Polymorphism of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) influences neuropathological findings in patients who die from head injuries. More people who die from head injuries than non-head-injured controls have deposits of amyloid beta-protein in the cerebral cortex, with amyloid beta-protein deposits present predominantly in patients with the APOE epsilon4 allele. We report a prospective clinical study to test the hypothesis that patients with APOE epsilon4 have a worse clinical outcome 6 months after head injury than those without APOE epsilon4. ⋯ Our findings show a significant genetic association of APOE polymorphism with outcome after head injury supporting the hypothesis of a genetically determined influence. Patients with APOE epsilon4 are more than twice as likely as those without APOE epsilon4 to have an unfavourable outcome 6 months after head injury. Further studies are under way to confirm and further evaluate this association.
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Certain genotypes of apolipoprotein E (apoE, locus APOE) are associated with an increased risk for development of Alzheimer's disease. We present the distribution of the APOE alleles (E2, E3 and E4) in 50 Danish patients referred to a dementia clinic. ⋯ The study demonstrates a strong association between Alzheimer's disease and the E4 allele. No difference was found in the frequency of the E4 allele between Alzheimer and non-Alzheimer demented patients.