APOE4 leads to blood-brain barrier dysfunction predicting cognitive decline.

ABSTRACT: Vascular contributions to dementia and Alzheimer's disease are increasingly recognized^1-6. Recent studies have suggested that breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an early biomarker of human cognitive dysfunction⁷, including the early clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease^5,8-10. The E4 variant of apolipoprotein E (APOE4), the main susceptibility gene for Alzheimer's disease^11-14, leads to accelerated breakdown of the BBB and degeneration of brain capillary pericytes^15-19, which maintain BBB integrity^20-22. It is unclear, however, whether the cerebrovascular effects of APOE4 contribute to cognitive impairment. Here we show that individuals bearing APOE4 (with the ε3/ε4 or ε4/ε4 alleles) are distinguished from those

SUBMITTER: Montagne A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7250000 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature