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Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in Pick's disease and in Huntington's disease
J Kálmán1, A Juhász, K Majtényi
1Departments of Psychiatry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Center for Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6., H-6725, Szeged, Hungary. jkalman@nepsy.szote.u-szeged.hu
Neurobiology of Aging
|August 5, 2000
Summary
The apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) allele is linked to Pick's disease (PiD) risk, but not Huntington's disease (HD). This suggests apoE4 may be a risk factor for tau protein-related dementias beyond Alzheimer's disease.
Area of Science:
- Neurogenetics
- Neuropathology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Apolipoprotein E (apoE) polymorphism is a known genetic risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders.
- Limited epidemiological data exist on apoE allele associations with rare dementias like Pick's disease (PiD) and Huntington's disease (HD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between apolipoprotein E (apoE) alleles and the risk of Pick's disease (PiD) and Huntington's disease (HD).
- To determine if the apoE4 allele is a susceptibility factor for PiD and HD.
Main Methods:
- Examined apoE allele frequency in 36 patients with histopathologically confirmed PiD.
- Compared apoE genotype frequencies in 28 Huntington's disease (HD) probands and 79 healthy controls.
- Statistical analysis to assess overrepresentation of the apoE4 allele in PiD and HD groups compared to controls.
Main Results:
- The apoE4 allele was significantly overrepresented in PiD patients (42%) compared to healthy controls (7%).
- No significant association was found between the apoE4 allele and Huntington's disease (HD) probands (9%).
Conclusions:
- The apoE4 genotype is selectively associated with an increased risk for Pick's disease (PiD).
- This finding supports the hypothesis that apoE4 is not exclusive to Alzheimer's disease and may be a risk factor for various dementing disorders involving tau protein neuropathology, such as PiD.