A PRELIMINARY-STUDY OF APOLIPOPROTEIN-E GENOTYPE AND PSYCHIATRIC MANIFESTATIONS OF ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

We evaluated the frequency of depression and psychosis in 46 patients with AD and 135 control subjects with the apolipoprotein (APO) E3/3 or E3/4 genotype. Patients with AD and the APOE3/4 genotype had a more t han threefold increase in the signs of depression and psychosis when c ompared with either patients with the APOE3/3 genotype or to control s ubjects. Our preliminary study suggests that the phenotype of AD assoc iated with the epsilon 4 allele is more likely to include psychiatric manifestations.