White matter lesions in Alzheimer patients are influenced by apolipoprotein E genotype

• To analyse the influence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on the extent of white matter lesions (WMLs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we examined 60 AD patients with magnetic resonance imaging. The WMLs were rated visually in different brain regions. The patients with the APOE genotype σ4/4 had more extensive WMLs in the deep white matter than patients with genotypes σ3/3 and σ3/4. There was a correlation with age for WMLs in the deep white matter in patients with the APOE σ3/3 genotype. In patients carrying at least one σ4 allele, the WMLs showed no age correlation. The results could imply that in APOE allele σ4 carriers, the WMLs represent a pathological process related to the aetiology of the disease.

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