Hamza EA, Moustafa AA, Tindle R, Karki R, Nalla S, Hamid MS, El Haj M. Effect of APOE4 Allele and Gender on the Rate of Atrophy in the Hippocampus, Entorhinal Cortex, and Fusiform Gyrus in Alzheimer's Disease.
Curr Alzheimer Res 2023;
19:CAR-EPUB-130079. [PMID:
36892120 DOI:
10.2174/1567205020666230309113749]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and fusiform gyrus are brain areas that deteriorate during early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ApoE4 allele has been identified as a risk factor for AD development, is linked to an increase in the aggregation of amyloid ß (Aß) plaques in the brain, and is responsible for atrophy of the hippocampal area. However, to our knowledge, the rate of deterioration over time in individuals with AD, with or without the ApoE4 allele, has not been investigated.
METHOD
In this study, we, for the first time, analyze atrophy in these brain structures in AD patients with and without the ApoE4 using the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset.
RESULTS
It was found that the rate of decrease in the volume of these brain areas over 12 months was related to the presence of ApoE4. Further, we found that neural atrophy was not different for female and male patients, unlike prior studies, suggesting that the presence of ApoE4 is not linked to the gender difference in AD.
CONCLUSION
Our results confirm and extend previous findings, showing that the ApoE4 allele gradually impacts brain regions impacted by AD.
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