ASSOCIATION OF ALPHA-1-ANTICHYMOTRYPSIN POLYMORPHISM WITH CEREBRAL AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY

In search of genetic risk factors of sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopa thy (CAA), we investigated the association of a polymorphism in the si gnal peptide sequence of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) with the sever ity of CAA in 155 autopsy cases of the elderly, including 48 patients with Alzheimer's disease. In the total cases, there was no significant association of the ACT genotypes (AA, AT, and TT) with the severity o f CAA. Within the Alzheimer's disease group, however, a significant co rrelation was found between the ACT A allele frequency and the severit y of CAA.