What is it about?
APOE4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's (AD). Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are common findings in MRI scans of older people, believed to be caused by small vessel disease, associated to cardiovascular risk factors, and contribute to the risk of and severity of dementia. Here we report that cognitively-healthy middle-aged subjects carrying two APOE4 alleles, which are at higher risk of developping AD, are more likely to harbor pathological levels of WMH.
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Why is it important?
This study suggests that control of cardiovascular risk factors in healthy individuals at risk of AD may constitute an effective preventive strategy.
Perspectives
Interventional studies are needed to confirm that control of cardiovascular risk factors with diet, exercise and therapies to reduce arterial hypertension and high blood cholesterol levels have a beneficial impact in individuals at high genetic risk of developing AD
Juan Domingo Gispert
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Higher prevalence of cerebral white matter hyperintensities in homozygous APOE-ɛ4 allele carriers aged 45–75: Results from the ALFA study, Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, May 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0271678x17707397.
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