Alzheimer's Disease, Genes, and Environment: The Value of International Studies

Objective: To describe the construction of a disease model incorporating both genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), using data generated from the Indianapolis–Ibadan dementia project (I-IDP). Method: The I-IDP is a longitudinal comparative study of the p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of psychiatry 2004-02, Vol.49 (2), p.92-99
Main Authors: Hendrie, Hugh C, Hall, Kathleen S, Ogunniyi, Adesola, Gao, Sujuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Aged
Alleles
Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis
Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology
Alzheimer Disease - genetics
Alzheimer's disease
Apolipoprotein E4
Apolipoproteins E - genetics
Biological and medical sciences
Black or African American
Black People - genetics
Black People - statistics & numerical data
Causes
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dementia, Vascular - diagnosis
Dementia, Vascular - epidemiology
Dementia, Vascular - genetics
Environment
Epidemiology
Genetic Variation - genetics
Genetics
Genetics, Population
Geriatrics
Humans
Incidence
Indiana
International studies
Life Style
Longitudinal Studies
Medical sciences
Nigeria
Phenotype
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Risk Factors
Social Environment
Urban Population - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:Objective: To describe the construction of a disease model incorporating both genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), using data generated from the Indianapolis–Ibadan dementia project (I-IDP). Method: The I-IDP is a longitudinal comparative study of the prevalence and incidence of dementia in 2 communities: elderly African Americans living in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Yoruba living in Ibadan, Nigeria. Results: African Americans are more than twice as likely as Yoruba to develop AD. Possible explanations for this finding include genetic factors: the possession of the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele does not increase risk for AD among Yoruba but confers a slight increase in AD risk for African Americans. As well, environmental factors may play a role: African Americans have a higher risk of vascular risk factors than do Yoruba. Conclusions: International comparative studies, particularly those involving populations from developing and developed countries, offer a unique opportunity for applying new information regarding population genetics to traditional AD risk factor research.
ISSN:0706-7437
1497-0015
DOI:10.1177/070674370404900203