Title:Effect of APOE4 Allele and Gender on the Rate of Atrophy in the Hippocampus,
Entorhinal Cortex, and Fusiform Gyrus in Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume: 19
Issue: 14
Author(s): Eid Abo Hamza, Ahmed A. Moustafa*, Richard Tindle, Rasu Karki, Shahed Nalla, Mohamed S. Hamid and Mohamad EL HAJ
Affiliation:
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Gold
Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, the Faculty of Health
Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, hippocampus, APOE gene, entorhinal cortex, fusiform gyrus, disease progression, gender differences.
Abstract:
Background: The hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and fusiform gyrus are brain areas that
deteriorate during early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The ApoE4 allele has been identified as a
risk factor for AD development, is linked to an increase in the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques
in the brain, and is responsible for atrophy of the hippocampal area. However, to our knowledge, the
rate of deterioration over time in individuals with AD, with or without the ApoE4 allele, has not been
investigated.
Methods: In this study, we, for the first time, analyze atrophy in these brain structures in AD patients
with and without the ApoE4 using the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset.
Results: It was found that the rate of decrease in the volume of these brain areas over 12 months was
related to the presence of ApoE4. Further, we found that neural atrophy was not different for female
and male patients, unlike prior studies, suggesting that the presence of ApoE4 is not linked to the gender
difference in AD.
Conclusion: Our results confirm and extend previous findings, showing that the ApoE4 allele gradually
impacts brain regions impacted by AD.
