APOLIPOPROTEIN-E GENOTYPE IN DIVERSE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS

While the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) epsilon 4 allele is a recognized ris k factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), an association of epsilon 4 wit h other neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) has not been extensively expl ored. We examined 51 cases of neuropathologically confirmed ND. After eliminating 18 cases exhibiting pathology sufficient to warrant an add itional diagnosis of AD, three disorders characterized by tau-related cytoskeletal pathology, i.e., Pick's disease, corticobasal degeneratio n, and progressive supranuclear palsy, showed increased epsilon 4 freq uencies. Since the number of cases within each category was small, the se increased epsilon 4 frequencies were not statistically significant. beta-Amyloid (beta A4) immunoreactive diffuse plaques were observed i n many of these cases. While we cannot eliminate the possibility that these patients were destined to develop AD, these changes may merely r eflect an independent association of epsilon 4 with amyloid deposition . These preliminary data affirm the need for further study of well-cha racterized cases to explore the relationship of ApoE to cytoskeletal p athology and ND.