CYP2D6 polymorphisms in Alzheimer's disease, with and without extrapyramidal signs, showing no apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 effect modification

Background: Allelic variation at the CYP2D6 gene has been reported to be as sociated with Parkinsons' disease (PD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD), but no t With Alzheimer's disease (AD), AD has been associated,vith apolipoprotein E (apoE) epsilon 4 allele loaning. Methods: We examined CYP2D6 and apoE polimorphisms in a sample of 259 patie nts with dementia, 210 of whom had a diagnosis of AD, and 107 healthy contr ols. Results: We found that the allelic frequency in our AD sample did not vary from that in the controls. The debrisoquine hydroxylase poor metabolize phe notype was not mor-e prevalent among AD cases than among controls in contra st to that reported Sor PD and LED. We also found that CYP2D6 status does n ot modify the risk effect for AD conferred by apoE epsilon 4 alleles. Conclusions: These findings provide some support to the notion that, at a g enetic level, at least at this locus, AD could be distinct from PD and LED. (C) 1999 Society of Biological Psychiatry.