Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) principal investigator Sterling Johnson, PhD, is co-author of a study published in Nature Medicine. The study found almost all the individuals in a multi-cohort study who carry two copies of APOE4, a variant of the APOE gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease, went on to develop signs of the disease. The findings suggest that possession of two identical copies of APOE4 could represent a distinct genetic form of Alzheimer´s disease.
The researchers examined pathological data from 3,297 brain donors and biomarkers and clinical data from over 10,000 people, including participants from WRAP and five large multicenter cohorts in Europe and the US.
The study finding summarized: “Future studies should focus on population-based studies with diverse origins. In conclusion, our study provides compelling evidence to propose that APOE4 homozygotes represent a distinct, genetically determined form of AD, which has important implications for public health, genetic counseling of carriers and future research directions.”
“APOE4 homozygozity represents a distinct genetic form of Alzheimer’s disease” was published by Nature Medicine on May 6, 2024.
In the news
“Genes known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s may actually be an inherited form of the disorder, researchers say” – CNN, May 6, 2024.
“People with two copies of a risk gene have genetic form of Alzheimer’s, scientists say” – Reuters.com, May 6, 2024.
“Study Suggests Genetics as a Cause, Not Just a Risk, for Some Alzheimer’s” – The New York Times, May 6, 2024.
“Some cases of Alzheimer’s caused by two copies of a single gene” – NBC, May 6, 2024