R. Camicioli et al., Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 is associated with neuronal loss in the substantia nigra in Alzheimer's disease, DEMENT G C, 10(6), 1999, pp. 437-441
Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (ApoE epsilon 4) is associated with an earlier a
ge at onset of Alzheimer's (AD) and possibly Parkinson's disease, suggestin
g a general role for ApoE epsilon 4 in neuronal plasticity. Among 31 prospe
ctively assessed subjects with pathologically confirmed AD (without Lewy bo
dies), epsilon 4+ subjects had a longer duration of disease (by 2.8 years,
p = 0.04). Only cell loss in the substantia nigra (p = 0.002) was associate
d with epsilon 4. Neither neurofibrillary tangles nor plaque counts were as
sociated with epsilon 4. Cell counts of pigmented neurons in single midbrai
n sections in epsilon 4+ specimens were 72% of those in epsilon 4-substanti
a nigra (p = 0.04). These findings confirm that cell loss in the substantia
nigra is associated with epsilon 4 in AD, Copyright (C) 1999 S. Karger AG,
Basel.