Cited by 787Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Fibrillar amyloid-β burden in cognitively normal people at 3 levels of genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease

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Reiman, Eric M., Chen, Kewei, Liu, Xiaofen, Bandy, Daniel, Yu, Meixiang, Lee, Wendy, Ayutyanont, Napatkamon, Keppler, Jennifer +9 more·2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Fibrillar amyloid-beta (Aβ) is found in the brains of many cognitively normal older people. Whether or not this reflects a predisposition to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unknown. We used Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) PET to characterize the relationship between fibrillar Aβ burden and this predisposition in cognitively normal older people at 3 mean levels of genetic risk for AD. Dynamic PiB PET scans, the Logan method, statistical parametric mapping, and automatically labeled regions of interest (ROIs) were used to characterize and compare cerebral-to-cerebellar PIB distribution volume ratios, reflecting fibrillar Aβ burden, in 28 cognitively normal persons (mean age, 64 years) with a reported family history of AD and 2 copies, 1 copy, and no copies of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele. The 8 ε4 homozygotes, 8 heterozygotes, and 12 noncarriers did not differ significantly in terms of age, sex, or cognitive scores. Fibrillar Aβ was significantly associated with APOE ε4 carrier status and ε4 gene dose in AD-affected mean cortical, frontal, temporal, posterior cingulate-precuneus, parietal, and basal ganglia ROIs, and was highest in an additional homozygote who had recently developed mild cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that fibrillar Aβ burden in cognitively normal older people is associated with APOE ε4 gene dose, the major genetic risk factor for AD. Additional studies are needed to track fibrillar Aβ accumulation in persons with different kinds and levels of AD risk; to determine the extent to which fibrillar Aβ, alone or in combination with other biomarkers and risk factors, predicts rates of cognitive decline and conversion to clinical AD; and to establish the role of fibrillar Aβ imaging in primary prevention trials.

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  • Crossing a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease that has high levels of human Aβ in the brain with human APOE targeted replacement mice demonstrated age-dependent and APOE isoform-dependent (E4>>E3>E2) Aβ deposition and amyloid burden in the brain in a manner that recapitulates the human condition observed in pre-symptomatic elderly APOE4 carriers as well as Alzheimer's disease patients.

    “Crossing a transgenic mouse model of AD that has high levels of human Aβ in the brain with human APOE targeted replacement mice demonstrated age-dependent and APOE isoform-dependent (E4>>E3>E2) Aβ deposition and amyloid burden in the brain in a manner that recapitulates the human condition observed in pre-symptomatic elderly APOE4 carriers as well as AD patients.18–21”

    From AAVrh.10-Mediated APOE2 Central Nervous System Gene Therapy for APOE4-Associated Alzheimer's Disease (2018) · cites this paper as [20]

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  • In AD, amyloid deposition spreads and the disease pathogenesis progressively involves a broad region of the brain.

    “the amyloid deposition spreads, and the disease pathogenesis progressively involves a broad region of the brain”

    From AAVrh.10-Mediated APOE2 Central Nervous System Gene Therapy for APOE4-Associated Alzheimer's Disease (2018) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports fibrillar amyloid-β burden across several brain regions associated with AD, supporting the claim that deposition involves a broad region of the brain. But the paper does not establish that deposition spreads over time or that disease pathogenesis progressively involves more regions; the Discussion notes the absence of longitudinal amyloid data. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • The association of the APOE4 isoform with amyloid deposition has been well established in human studies, where APOE4 carriers exhibit higher Aβ plaque burden and earlier onset of amyloid positivity compared with non-carriers.

    “The association of the APOE4 isoform with amyloid deposition has been well established in human studies, where APOE4 carriers exhibit higher A β plaque burden and earlier onset of amyloid positivity compared with non-carriers 35 -37 .”

    From APOE2 attenuates APOE4-associated amyloid pathology and related toxicity in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (2026) · cites this paper as [37]

    The Results and Discussion (page numbers unavailable) report greater fibrillar Aβ burden in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers than in noncarriers, and more carriers met the study’s PiB-positivity criterion. The study does not establish an earlier age of onset of amyloid positivity: its positivity comparison is cross-sectional, while the younger onset described in the Abstract concerns dementia, not amyloid positivity. (LLM, conf=0.89)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • APOE status modulates the onset of extracellular amyloid plaque deposition.

    “APOE status has been found to modulate the onset of extracellular amyloid plaque deposition, one of the key pathognomonic features of the disease (6, 7).”

    From Human ApoE isoforms differentially regulate brain amyloid-β peptide clearance (2011) · cites this paper as [6]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports greater fibrillar amyloid-β burden in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers than in noncarriers, supporting an association between APOE status and deposition. It does not establish when plaque deposition begins or show that APOE status modulates its onset; the younger onset discussed in the paper concerns dementia, not deposition. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • The APOE ε4 allele increases brain amyloid burden assessed by PIB-PET imaging in a gene dose-dependent manner.

    “Additionally, the APOE ε4 allele increases brain amyloid burden assessed by PIB-PET imaging in a gene dose-dependent manner (6).”

    From Human ApoE isoforms differentially regulate brain amyloid-β peptide clearance (2011) · cites this paper as [6]

    The Results report that PiB-PET measures of fibrillar amyloid-β burden increased progressively with each additional APOE ε4 allele in the cognitively normal participants. The Discussion describes this as an association; the study does not establish that the allele causes amyloid burden to increase. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Reiman, E. M., Chen, K., Liu, X., Bandy, D., Yu, M., Lee, W., Ayutyanont, N., Keppler, J., Reeder, S. A., Langbaum, J. B. S., Alexander, G. E., Klunk, W. E., Mathis, C. A., Price, J. C., Aizenstein, H. J., DeKosky, S. T., & Caselli, R. J.
Affiliations
  • Translational Genomics Research Institute (US)
  • Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix (US)
  • University of Arizona (US)
  • Departments of iPsychiatry,
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
  • Mayo Clinic in Arizona (US)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2009-04-21
Volume
106
Issue
16
Pages
6820-6825
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2171346860
Cited by
785
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 50 · 2014: 66 · 2013: 61 · 2012: 65
FWCI
45.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • McKnight Foundation
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG025526, R01AG018402, P01AG025204, RF1AG025516, P50AG005133, R01AG031581, P30AG019610, R37AG025516)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH070729, R01MH057899)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Keywords
fibrillar amyloid-beta, Alzheimer's disease, APOE ε4, genetic risk, cognitively normal older adults, Pittsburgh compound B PET, family history of Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, primary prevention
MeSH terms
Aged, Alzheimer Disease, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Heterozygote, Homozygote, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Gene Dosage, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Apolipoprotein E4

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