Gene Variant Confers Higher Alzheimer's Risk For Women
Posted: April 17, 2014 at 6:52 am
April 16, 2014
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online
New research from scientists at Stanford University has revealed a genetic variant that raises the risk of developing Alzheimers disease in women, but not in men.
After analyzing information on numerous older individuals who were followed over time, the scientists recognized a genetic variant called ApoE4 that conveyed the sex-specific elevated risk level, according to their report in the Annals of Neurology.
While more women suffer from Alzheimers than men, women also tend to live longer increasing their odds of developing the cognitive disorder. However, the study researchers found the risk from the genetic variant remained even after considering age.
Even after correcting for age, women appear to be at greater risk, said Dr. Michael Greicius, study author and assistant professor of neurology at Stanford.
In the study, researchers considered records that had been stored in two large, openly available databases. In one repository, the scientists reviewed clinical assessments of 5,000 people whose cognitive test outcome was normal at the start and 2,200 people who had originally showed indications of mild cognitive impairment.
Within both groups, being an ApoE4 carrier showed higher probability of Alzheimers disease. Additionally, the team also saw that for those who began with normal cognitive function, the greater risk was only minimal for men, while women who had the ApoE4 variant had near double the odds of moving on to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimers disease as people who didnt.
Our study showed that, among healthy older controls, having one copy of the ApoE4 variant confers a substantial Alzheimers disease risk in women, but not in men, Greicius said.
From the second database, researchers examined imaging information and measurements of a number of biomarkers from spinal fluid that signal mild cognitive impairment and ultimately Alzheimers disease. Evaluation of 1,000 patients files from this collection not only validated ApoE4s sex-specific effect, but it also produced evidence that may assist investigators in exploring, and potentially explaining, the molecular components connecting ApoE4 to Alzheimers disease, Greicius said.
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Gene Variant Confers Higher Alzheimer's Risk For Women