APOE, ACT and CHRNA7 genes in the conversion from amnestic mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease

Genetic variation in caspase-1 as predictor of accelerated progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease

“…MCI patients with the APOE ε4 allele have been described to be more likely to progress to AD as compared to those without the APOE ε4 allele [4], but these studies of AD conversion frequently do not account for timedependent progression. According with our results, Barabash et al [1] did not find that APOE ε4 allele was a predictive factor of progression from MCI to AD before 20 months of evolution, but these authors observed that Ala/Thr alpha1-antichymotripsin polymorphism 3 was a significative predictor of rapid conversion from MCI to AD over this short follow-up period. Similarly, in the present study CASP1 (rs580253) T allele accelerated the progression from MCI to AD (HR = 1.88) and shortened time-to-progression by 6.5 months.…”

“…Despite the many genetic studies of AD, there has been little research directed toward determining the influence of genetic variation on progression from MCI to AD [1,4]. Variation in the caspase-1 (CASP1) gene has been evaluated in both cognitive function in elderly individuals with normal cognition [5] and in predisposition to AD [6], but no previous study has specifically explored the association between genetic variation in CASP1 and progression from MCI to AD.…”

Modifiable Predictors of Dementia in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Only two studies found that education did predict conversion to AD in people with aMCI (neither could be included in meta-analyses); one found that those who converted within 20 months were more likely to have had less than 10 years of schooling than those who did not 69 ; the second that those with more education had an increased risk of AD 71 .…”

Therapeutic Potential ofα7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

“…Unfortunately, 10-15% of these patients annually will convert to dementia, particularly to AD (Petersen, 2009). A genetic study suggested that the CHRNA7 might act as a modifier gene in patients with MCI in protection from conversion to AD (Barabash et al, 2009). A recent study demonstrated that in a 6-month study, transdermal nicotine improved measures of attention, memory, and mental processing in nonsmoking MCI patients, although not in the global impression clinical rating scale (Newhouse et al, 2012).…”