Apolipoprotein E4 and Brain White Matter Integrity in Alzheimer's Disease: Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Study under 3-Tesla MRI

作者：Bagepally Bhavani Shankara^*; Halahalli Harsha N; John John P; Kota Lakshminarayan; Purushottam Meera; Mukherjee Odity; Sivakumar Palanimuthu Thangaraju; Bharath Srikala; Jain Sanjeev; Varghese Mathew

来源：Neurodegenerative Diseases, 2012, 10(1-4): 145-148.

DOI：10.1159/000334761

• Brain white matter integrity
• Alzheimer's disease
• Apolipoprotein E4 polymorphism

Introduction: Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE epsilon 4) polymorphism is a known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objectives: To evaluate the role of ApoE epsilon 4 on white matter structural integrity in AD. Methods: Subjects were 32 patients with probable AD (ApoE epsilon 4-positive: n = 15) and 18 matched controls (ApoE epsilon 4-positive: n = 6). All subjects were right-handed, evaluated using standard scales and genotyped at the ApoE locus. Diffusion tensor imaging was performed with a 3-tesla MRI scanner and analyzed using the tract-based spatial statistics method. Results: AD patients had significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in bilateral temporoparietal, limbic and parahippocampal regions in comparison to healthy comparison subjects. ApoE epsilon 4 carriers among both AD and healthy comparison subjects showed lower FA in limbic and medial temporal regions. Conclusions: There is a modest association between ApoE epsilon 4 carrier status and reduction in white matter tract integrity at medial temporal and limbic regions in both healthy and AD subjects.

• 出版日期2012