GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - A POTENTIAL ROLEFOR CHOLESTEROL

Alzheimer's disease is probably a complex disease caused by an interac tion of multiple environmental and genetic factors. Genetic defects in clude 'causative' genes which are rare and a 'susceptibility' gene (ep silon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E) which is more common in cases. Rec ent research suggests that environmental factors may interact with a g enetic predisposition to modify the risk of Alzheimer's disease. An in teraction between serum cholesterol levels and epsilon 4 genotype is p roposed. The evidence for this gene-environment interaction is discuss ed.