Polymorphisms in the alpha-2 macroglobulin gene in psychogeriatric patients

Recent reports have suggested that genetic polymorphisms in the alpha -2 ma croglobulin (A2M) gene are associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer' s disease. In the present study we tested two polymorphisms in the alpha -2 macroglobulin gene, a 5 bp deletion at the 5' splice site of exon 18 and a G/A point mutation (V1000I) in exon 24, in a sample of 118 healthy, non de mented controls and 238 consecutively recruited gerontopsychiatric patients , diagnosed as: Alzheimer's disease (N = 88), mild cognitive impairment (N = 32), subjective cognitive complaints (N = 54) and depression/other psychi atric disorders (N = 64). The aim of this study was to test whether the inv estigated polymorphisms has a high enough selectivity and specificity to di stinguish between the different gerontopsychiatric disorders or to differen tiate genetically AD from other forms of dementia, respectively. Also a pos sible relation to the APOE epsilon4 polymorphism was examined. Our study fa iled to show an association between the two investigated polymorphisms in t he alpha -2 macroglobulin gene and any of the four different psychogeriatri c patient subgroups, either alone or in combination with the APOE epsilon4 genotype. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.