| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Atherosclerosis and Lipoproteins |
From the Longtine Center for Molecular Biology and Genetics (A.E.R., C.E., W.K., D.C.L.), Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City; Department of Microbiology (T.A.K.), School of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale; and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (J.D.S.) and W. H. Civin Laboratory for Neuropathology (L.I.S.), Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Ariz.
Correspondence to Alex E. Roher, Longtine Center for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Sun Health Research Institute, 10515 W Santa Fe Dr, Sun City, AZ 85351. E-mail alex.roher{at}sunhealth.org
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Methods and Results Fifty-four consecutive autopsy cases, 32 AD and 22 nondemented control subjects, were examined to establish the degree of arterial stenosis. Vessel external and lumenal area measurements were taken from 3-mm arterial cross-sections to calculate a stenosis index. AD patient circle of Willis arteries possessed a significant degree of stenosis as a consequence of multiple and severe atherosclerotic lesions. These lesions were significantly more severe in AD cases than in age-matched controls (P<0.0001), and the number of stenoses and the index of occlusion (R=0.67; P<0.00001) were positively correlated. In addition, the index of stenosis significantly correlated with the following measures of AD neuropathological lesions: total plaque score, neuritic plaque score, neurofibrillary tangle score, Braak stage score, and white matter rarefaction score.
Conclusions Our study reveals an association between severe circle of Willis atherosclerosis and sporadic AD that should be considered a risk factor for this dementia. These observations strongly suggest that atherosclerosis-induced brain hypoperfusion contributes to the clinical and pathological manifestations of AD.
Key Words: atherosclerosis circle of Willis Alzheimers disease brain hypoperfusion
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
See page 1951 and cover
| Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The sample subjected to computer-based quantitative analysis contained 22 ND control cases, consisting of 14 women and 8 men with mean ages of 87.1 and 82.6 years, respectively, and 32 AD cases, 18 women and 14 men with mean ages of 84.4 and 86.4 years, respectively. History of cardiovascular disease, in particular the presence or absence of hypertension, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, disorders of rhythm and conduction, cardiomyopathy, cardiorespiratory failure, and peripheral vascular disease, were recorded from the patients clinical charts. Demographic and neuropathologic data are illustrated in Table 1.
|
Neuropathologic Diagnosis and Scoring for AD-Related Pathology
The diagnosis of AD was made according to published consensus criteria developed by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimers disease (CERAD) and a committee formed by the National Institute on Aging and Reagan Institute (NIA-R).41,42 Cases were defined as AD if they met CERAD criteria for definite or probable AD as well as NIA-R criteria for intermediate or high probability for AD.
Two methods were used to obtain senile plaque scores for each brain. The total plaque score was obtained by estimating the density of all plaque types (compact, neuritic, classical, and diffuse) on 40-µm thioflavin-Sstained sections. The diagrams published by CERAD were used to classify plaque density as none, sparse, moderate, or frequent. For statistical purposes, these were assigned the corresponding numerical values 0, 1, 2, and 3. The scores from several brain regions, including frontal, temporal, parietal, hippocampal, and entorhinal areas, were added to give the total plaque score (maximum score, 15). The second method used was the CERAD neuritic plaque score, in which the density of neuritic plaques was assessed in the same manner as for the total plaque score except that only neuritic plaques were scored. The brain regions assessed were limited to the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital neocortex regions, and the overall score represented the highest score seen in any area. These scores therefore ranged between 0 and 3.
Neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) density was also scored with 2 different methods. The total NFT score was calculated in the same manner as that described for the total plaque score, and NFT density was also scored using the Braak Stage method.43 A white-matter rarefaction score was obtained for each cerebral lobe (frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital) by assessing the extent of white matter rarefaction on 40-µm quarter-hemisphere sections stained with H&E. The proportion of white matter affected was used to assign a score from none to mild (less than 25% affected) to moderate (25% to 50% affected) to severe (greater than 50% affected). For statistical analysis, these were converted to numerical scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3. The mean of scores for each cerebral lobe was used for statistical analysis.
Assessment of Circle of Willis Atherosclerosis
For quantitative assessment, the circle of Willis was dissected intact at the time of autopsy and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The following arteries were individually studied: right and left vertebral arteries, basilar artery, right and left posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs), right and left posterior communicating arteries (PcomAs), right and left middle cerebral arteries, right and left internal carotid arteries, right and left anterior cerebral arteries (ACAs), and anterior communicating arteries (AcomAs). All arteries were cut into 3-mm lengths, and the cross-sections were examined with a Leica S8APO dissecting microscope to find all areas of appreciable vascular stenosis and photographed with an Optronics Magnafire SP camera (model s99805) and software program (Optronics). Measurements of the vessel external and lumenal areas were taken from the photographic record using the calibrated ImagePro Express, version 4.0 software (Media Cybernetics). After all of the arteries of a single case were measured, a stenosis index was calculated for each artery by subtracting the lumenal area from the outer area, dividing the difference by the outer area and multiplying the quotient by 100.
Apolipoprotein E Genotyping
Genomic DNA was extracted from
50 mg of cerebellar tissue and subjected to polymerase chain reaction analysis as described.44
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
In the AD group, 87 of 391 (22.25%) examined arteries were more than 80% occluded, whereas only 13 of 277 (4.7%) were as extensively blocked in the ND group (
2, P<0.001). Furthermore, in the AD cohort, there were 14 arteries with a 100% occlusion (3.6%), whereas in the ND only 4 were observed (1.1%). Overall in the ND control group on a per-case basis, 73% of the subjects had greater than 50% occlusion, 23% of the subjects had greater than 60% occlusion, and none of the subjects had greater than 70% occlusion. In contrast, in the AD group, 97% of the patients had 50% occlusion, 81% of the patients had greater than 60% occlusion, and 38% of the patients had greater than 70% occlusion.
The mean degree of arterial stenosis was determined for each of the circle of Willis arteries, and these results are depicted in Figure 3. A major difference in arterial stenosis degree was evident between the AD and ND groups. The stenosis degree was statistically greater for the AD group in each artery (unpaired, 2-tailed t tests; P<0.0001), with the posterior communicating arteries showing the greatest contrast between AD and ND group stenosis percentages.
|
Figure 4 illustrates the total number of stenoses plotted against the average index of occlusion per each of the investigated circle of Willis and related arteries, which shows a positive correlation between the 2 parameters (R=0.67). The average number of stenoses found in the ND and AD circle of Willis arterial networks was 19.91 and 30.22, respectively (P=0.0078). The average index of occlusion per case was for the ND 53.77% and for the AD 66.94% (P<0.00001). The magnitude of cerebral hypoperfusion is directly proportional to the number of atheroma plaques along the arterial tree and the degree of the stenosis dictated by the size of the remaining arterial lumen.
|
Important parameters to be considered, in relation to the degree of stenosis of the arteries that supply the brain and global cerebral perfusion, are individual anatomical variations in the circle of Willis. In some instances these variations may provide an additional alternative blood flow routing. However, in most cases they represent a disadvantage because of total vascular absence or vascular hypoplasia that imposes limitations in collateral circulation. Our data revealed that the normal vascular pattern was present in 17 of 32 AD cases and in 13 of 22 ND cases. The observed vascular variations were as follows: triplication of the ACA: AD=1, ND=0; duplication of AcomA: AD=4, ND=1; lack of AcomA: AD=1, ND=1; hypoplasia of a PcomA: AD=5, ND=4; lack of a PcomA: AD=1, ND=1; lack of a PcomA and a PCA: AD=1, ND=0; hypoplasia of a PcomA and a PCA: AD=3, ND=2; and lack of both PcomAs: AD=1, ND=0.
Ideally, in the aging individual, the degree of patency of the collateral circulation between the external carotid artery (facial artery) and internal carotid artery (ophthalmic artery), the right and left internal carotid arteries, and the vertebrobasilar arteries (via the communicating arteries of the circle of Willis) may aid in circumventing major vascular obstructions. Similarly, the existence of a physiologically efficient collateral circulation between branches of the leptomeningeal arteries or between parenchymal terminal branches of the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries may also help to partially relieve areas of poor perfusion.
In this study, the degree of arterial stenosis was positively correlated with the 5 characteristic neuropathological lesions of AD (Figure 5). All correlations were evaluated using Spearmans rank correlation test. When the average stenosis score (average stenoses of all blood vessels for each case) was compared with the brain total plaque score (sum of plaque scores of all brain regions) (Figure 5A), a positive correlation was evident (RS=0.43; P<0.01), with minimal divergence between sex (men, RS=0.45, P<0.05; women, RS=0.42, P<0.05). Similar correlations were present between average stenosis score and CERAD neuritic plaque score (Figure 5D; men, RS=0.58, P=0.01; women, RS=0.59, P<0.01; men and women, RS=0.59, P<0.01).
|
The correlation between average arterial stenosis score and total NFT score (Figure 5B) was also positive (RS=0.44, P<0.01). In this instance, however, there were important sex differences (men, RS=0.32, P>0.05; women, RS=0.50, P<0.01), with the female correlation being far more robust. The average arterial stenosis score and Braak stage (Figure 5C) were strongly correlated (RS=0.51, P<0.001) as well, with large differences when the sexes were considered separately (men, RS=0.36, P>0.05; women, RS=0.60, P<0.001). Comparing average stenosis score with the white-matter score (Figure 5E) again showed a positive correlation that was more marked in women than in men (women, RS=0.32, P>0.05; men, RS=0.60, P=0.001; men and women together, RS=0.47, P=0.005). The mean number of stenoses per each artery was calculated and averaged (2.33 for AD and 1.47 for ND; unpaired, 2-tailed t tests, P=0.004). Hence, the total number of vascular stenoses in the AD group was always greater than that of the ND group.
There were no statistically significant differences between the ages of the AD and ND populations (P=0.91). However, when subdivided by sex, there was a significant difference between the ages of men and women in the ND group (82.6 and 87.1 years, respectively; unpaired, 2-tailed t tests, P=0.004). In the AD population, the differences in age between the male and female groups were not significant (86.4 and 84.4 years, respectively; unpaired, 2-tailed t tests, P=0.46).
The Apo E allelic frequencies in the ND group were
2=0.09,
3=0.73, and
4=0.18 and for the AD group were
2=0.02,
3=0.72, and
4=0.26, respectively. In this study, there was no association between the Apo E genotype and the degree of atherosclerosis in either the AD or ND cohorts. Because the apolipoprotein E
4 allele has been associated with increased coronary atherosclerosis,45 it is possible that the association of circle of Willis atherosclerosis with AD histopathology is secondary to the increased
4 allele frequency in the AD group.
Neuropathological examination of the brain coronal sections revealed no statistically significant differences in ischemic stroke numbers between AD (38%) and control individuals (36%). In reference to other cardiovascular pathology, coronary artery disease was 2 times more frequent in AD than ND patients (44% and 23%, respectively). Myocardial infarction was more frequent in AD than in ND (13% and 5%, respectively). In the ND population, there was a higher incidence of valvular heart disease, disorders of rhythm and conduction, and other peripheral vascular diseases than in the AD cohort (5% versus 0%, 45% versus 9%, and 23% versus 3%, respectively). Other cardiovascular pathologies such as hypertension, cardiomyopathy, stroke, and lacunar infarcts and cardiorespiratory failure were not different in frequency between the AD and ND populations.
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Surprisingly, with respect to most parameters, the female sex seemed to have a higher degree of pathological severity. This observation may be related to the higher levels of cholesterol in elderly women relative to men.46 Serum cholesterol levels may have profound effects on cognitive function. A prior study from our laboratory of 100 individuals revealed a sex-specific relationship between serum cholesterol levels and the prevalence of AD. Female AD subjects had statistically higher total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides levels than did the controls (unpaired, 2-tailed t tests, P=0.01). For men, however, levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were statistically indistinguishable between AD subjects and ND controls (unpaired, 2-tailed t tests, P>0.20) (A.E. Roher, unpublished observations, 2003). In a large group of postmenopausal women, high LDL and total cholesterol levels were statistically linked to lower scores on the most common tests assessing cognitive impairment. Moreover, a reduction in the LDL cholesterol level during the 4-year period of this study was associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment.47
Unfortunately, because of the fact that the cases in the present study were nursing-home patients and only largely incomplete and nonsystematic clinical chart data records concerning other cardiovascular risk factors were available (ie, dyslipidemia, homocysteinemia, C-reactive protein, etc), no correlations with these parameters could be established in our study. Future, carefully planned, longitudinal studies will permit the necessary comprehensive clinical, psychometric, and laboratory tests to be implemented as well as the required temporal follow-up of these parameters and permit their correlation with postmortem vascular and neuropathological alterations.
By demonstrating an association between circle of Willis atherosclerosis and sporadic AD, our observations bolster an increasing convergence between clinical evidence and basic science data linking vascular dementia and AD pathophysiology.8,48 In support of this linkage, detailed physical and functional examination of transgenic mice overexpressing AßPP/Aß has revealed profound cerebrovascular autoregulation impairment.49 These mice also exhibit endothelial dysfunction that can be reversed by superoxide dismutase activity50 and decreased neocortical blood flow elicited by somatosensory activation compared with nontransgenic mice.51
Circle of Willis arterial stenosis could contribute to AD-associated brain hypoperfusion. Recent investigations conducted with living patients have demonstrated a substantial and widespread pathologic perturbation of brain hemodynamics in patients with AD.5256 MR perfusion and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) techniques have clearly revealed decreased cerebral blood flow in AD.52,53 Functional MRI has also been used in the evaluation of AD dementia to determine blood volume distribution.54 A comparison of the dynamic contrast susceptibility observations to fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the same patients demonstrated a high degree of concordance. Thus, the decrease in temporoparietal perfusion seen in AD by positron emission tomography-SPECT was also identified by dynamic contrast susceptibility MR.55 Using a spin-labeling technique, cerebral perfusion was evaluated by MR, revealing a significant hypoperfusion in frontal, temporal, parietal, and cingulate regions in AD.56
Our results add to an accumulating mass of evidence that links recognized atherosclerotic disease risk factors and mechanisms with sporadic AD and Aß dynamics. Individuals carrying the Apo E
4 gene allele, a known risk factor for atherosclerosis, are at high risk of developing AD at an earlier age.5758 Cholesterol-fed rabbits exhibit a time-dependent increase in intraneuronal Aß immunoreactivity,59 and transgenic AßPP mice fed a cholesterol-rich diet develop a faster and significantly more florid amyloid deposition than the nontransgenic littermates.60 Tissue culture experiments have shown that cholesterol addition increases Aß production whereas cholesterol depletion reduces Aß synthesis.6163 Acyl-Coenzyme A cholesterol transferase modulates the generation of Aß.64 Reducing cholesterol synthesis by inhibiting hydroxymethyl glutaryl CoA reductase decreases Aß production in vitro and in vivo.65,66
It has long been thought that cerebral arteriosclerosis has no relationship to AD,67,68 leaving plaques and NFT as the only significant pathologic abnormalities. Importantly, earlier studies did not use statistical analysis or quantitative stenosis measurements, relying instead on simple visual assessment and data tabulation. Our quantitatively based comparisons and statistical analyses, however, conclusively demonstrate that circle of Willis atherosclerosis has a significant statistical association with sporadic AD. What remains to be explained, however, is why some sporadic AD cases have almost normal-appearing blood vessels, with minimal atherosclerosis. This discordance could be attributable to the etiologic heterogeneity of sporadic AD, with atherosclerosis playing a role in only a subset of AD cases. Sporadic AD is a terminal neurodegenerative disorder of the brain for which no single pathogenetic explanation has been found. In all probability, sporadic AD is a multifactorial disorder related to the age-associated exponential decay of the brain. Consequently, severe circle of Willis atherosclerosis and ensuing stenosis may accelerate or worsen AD once it is initiated by pleiotropic pathological processes. Sporadic AD is an emerging disease in the elderly, and it is important to consider recent economic, technological, and medical developments in relation to a potentially evolving AD epidemiology. Over the last century, the mean life expectancy in the United States has dramatically increased from 50 years to
80 years. Indeed, the population in the present study was 85.2 years of age on average. Increased longevity is a critical factor in AD development, but additional changes have significant impact as well. Dietary habits and physical activity patterns have changed with consequent impressive physical manifestations. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported a dramatic adult obesity prevalence increase between the years 1960 and 2000.69,70 Among the elderly adults, the population at highest relative sporadic AD risk, the prevalence of obesity for men and women increased from 8.4% to 35.8% and from 26.2% to 39.6%, respectively. Obesity is a major cause of mortality in the United States, annually accounting for 280 000 deaths,71 the larger number of deaths attributed directly to cardiovascular disease. Moreover,
250 000 deaths per year in the United States are attributable to lack of regular physical activity.72,73 Increased longevity and high caloric diets coupled with sedentary lifestyles undoubtedly promote weight gain, high LDL cholesterol, and low HDL cholesterol among the elderly and consequent disease conditions, such as atherosclerosis and, perhaps ultimately, AD.
In summary, we speculate that a probable pathologic consequence associated with extensive and increasing circle of Willis stenosis is an evolving brain hypoperfusion. Amyloid deposition and tau neurofibrillary accumulation, in some sporadic AD cases, may represent the terminal manifestation of a general breakdown in brain energy metabolism. Our results are unambiguous and represent a significant step toward a more complete understanding of sporadic AD pathogenesis. Additional longitudinal studies, combining cardiovascular risk factor measurements with cerebrovascular imaging techniques, will clarify the event sequence underlying our neuropathological observations and the potential role of hypoperfusion in sporadic AD. Atherosclerosis, arterial stenosis, and brain hypoperfusion contribute to the pathology and clinical symptoms of sporadic AD and as such present a potential target for already available therapeutic intervention that may delay the onset of sporadic AD or enhance the quality of life of patients with this dementia.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
This study was partially supported by the State of Arizona Alzheimers Disease Research Center and the National Institute on Aging grants AG-19795, AG-17490, and NS-38674.
Received August 18, 2003; accepted September 4, 2003.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2. Stewart R. Cardiovascular factors in Alzheimers disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1998; 65: 143147.
3. Skoog I, Kalaria RN, Breteler MM. Vascular factors and Alzheimers disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 1999; 13: 106114.[CrossRef]
4. Breteler MM. Vascular involvement in cognitive decline and dementia: epidemiologic evidence from the Rotterdam study and the Rotterdam scan study. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000; 903: 457465.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
5. Breteler MM, Bots ML, Ott A, Hofman A. Risk factors for vascular disease and dementia. Homeostasis. 1998; 28: 167173.
6. Meyer JS, Rauch GM, Rauch RA, Haque A, Crawford K. Cardiovascular and other risk factors for Alzheimers disease and vascular dementia. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000; 903: 411423.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
7. Kalmijn S, Foley D, White L, Burchfiel CM, Curb JD, Petrovitch H, Ross GW, Havlik RJ, Launer LJ. Metabolic cardiovascular syndrome and risk of dementia in Japanese-American elderly men. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2000; 20: 22552260.
8. de la Torre JC. Alzheimer disease as a vascular disorder: nosological evidence. Stroke. 2002; 33: 11521162.
9. de la Torre JC. Alzheimers disease: how does it start? J Alzheimer Dis. 2002; 4: 497512.
10. Sparks DL, Hunsaker JC, Scheff SW, Kryscio RJ, Henson JL, Markesbery WR. Cortical senile plaques in coronary artery disease, aging and Alzheimers disease. Neurobiol Aging. 1990; 11: 601607.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
11. Soneira CF, Scott TM. Severe cardiovascular disease and Alzheimers disease: senile plaque formation in cortical areas. Clin Anat. 1996; 9: 118127.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
12. Aronson MK, Ooi WL, Morgenstern H, Hafner A, Masur D, Crystal H, Frishman WH, Fisher D, Katzman R. Women, myocardial infarction, and dementia in the very old. Neurology. 1990; 40: 11021106.
13. Wisniewski HM, Maslinska D. ß-protein immunoreactivity in the human brain after cardiac arrest. Folia Neuropathol. 1996; 34: 6571.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
14. Hofman A, Ott A, Breteler MM, Bots ML, Slooter AJ, van Harskamp F, van Duijn CN, Van Broeckhoven C, Grobbee DE. Atherosclerosis, apolipoprotein E, and prevalence of dementia and Alzheimers disease in the Rotterdam Study. Lancet. 1997; 349: 151154.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
15. Schmidt R, Schmidt H, Curb JD, Masaki K, White LR, Launer LJ. Early inflammation and dementia: a 25-year follow-up of the Honolulu-Asia aging study. Ann Neurol. 2002; 52: 168174.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
16. Swan GE, Carmelli D, Larue A. Systolic blood pressure tracking over 25 to 30 years and cognitive performance in older adults. Stroke. 1998; 29: 23342340.
17. Skoog I, Lernfelt B, Landahl S, Palmertz B, Andreasson LA, Nilsson L, Persson G, Oden A, Svanborg A. 15-year longitudinal study of blood pressure and dementia. Lancet. 1996; 347: 11411145.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
18. Sparks DL, Scheff SW, Liu H, Landers TM, Coyne CM, Hunsaker JC. Increased incidence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in non-demented individuals with hypertension. J Neurol Sci. 1995; 131: 162169.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
19. Tzourio C, Dufouil C, Ducimetiere P, Alperovitch A. Cognitive decline in individuals with high blood pressure. Neurology. 1999; 53: 19481954.
20. Launer LJ, Ross GW, Petrovitch H, Masaki K, Foley D, White LR, Havlik RJ. Midlife blood pressure and dementia: the Honolulu-Asia aging study. Neurobiol Aging. 2000; 21: 4955.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
21. Petrovitch H, White LR, Izmirilian G, Ross GW, Havlik RJ, Markesbery W, Nelson J, Davis DG, Hardman J, Foley DJ, Launer LJ. Midlife blood pressure and neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and brain weight at death: the HAAS Honolulu-Asia aging study. Neurobiol Aging. 2000; 21: 5762.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
22. Kilander L, Nyman H, Boberg M, Hansson L, Lithell H. Hypertension is related to cognitive impairment: a 20-year follow-up of 999 men. Hypertension. 1998; 31: 780786.
23. Forette F, Seux ML, Staessen JA, Thijs L, Babarskiene MR, Babeanu S, Bossini A, Fagard R, Gil-Extremera B, Laks T, Kobalava Z, Sarti C, Tuomilehto L, Vanhanen H, Webster J, Yodfat Y, Birkenhager WH, for the Systolic Hypertension in Europe Investigators. The prevention of dementia with antihypertensive treatment: new evidence for the Systolic Hypertension in Europe (Syst-Eur) study. Arch Intern Med. 2002; 162: 20462052.
24. Havlik RJ, Foley DJ, Sayer B, Masaki K, Whiter L, Launer LJ. Variability in midlife systolic blood pressure is related to late-life brain white matter lesions: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Stroke. 2002; 33: 2630.
25. Peila R, White LR, Petrovitch H, Masaki K, Ross GW, Havlik RJ, Launer LJ. Joint effect of the Apo E gene and midlife systolic blood pressure on late-life cognitive impairment: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Stroke. 2001; 32: 28822889.
26. Skoog I, Gustafson D. Hypertension and related factors in the etiology of Alzheimers disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002; 977: 2936.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
27. Kivipelto M, Laakso MP, Tuomilehto J, Nissinen A, Soininen H. Hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia as risk factors for Alzheimers disease: potential for pharmacological intervention. CNS Drugs. 2002; 16: 435444.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
28. Qiu C, von Strauss E, Fastbom J, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L. Low blood pressure and risk of dementia in the Kungsholmen project: a 6-year follow-up study. Arch Neurol. 2003; 60: 223228.
29. Kalmijn S, Launer LJ, Ott A, Witteman JCM, Hofman A, Breteler MMB. Dietary fat intake and the risk of incident dementia in the Rotterdam study. Ann Neurol. 1997; 42: 776782.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
30. Kivipelto M, Helkala EL, Hanninen T, Laakso MP, Hallihainen M, Alhainen K, Soininen H, Tuomilehto J, Nissinen A. Midlife vascular risk factors and late-life mild cognitive impairment: a population based study. Neurology. 2001; 56: 16831689.
31. Launer LJ, White LR, Petrovitch H, Ross GW, Curb JD. Cholesterol and neuropathological markers of AD: a population-based autopsy study. Neurology. 2001; 57: 14471452.
32. Kivipelto M, Helkala EL, Laakso MP, Hanninen T, Hallikaininen M, Alhainen K, Iivonen S, Mannermaa A, Tuomilehto J, Nissinen A, Soiniinen H. Apolipoprotein E
4 allele, elevated midlife total cholesterol level, and high midlife systolic blood pressure are independent risk factors for late-life Alzheimer disease. Ann Intern Med. 2002; 137: 149155.
33. Seshadri S, Beiser A, Selhub J, Jacques PF, Rosenberg IH, DAgostino RB, Wilson PW, Wolf PA. Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimers disease. N Engl J Med. 2002; 346: 476483.
34. Luchsinger JA, Tang MX, Stern Y, Shea S, Mayeux R. Diabetes mellitus and risk of Alzheimers disease and dementia with stroke in a multiethnic cohort. Am J Epidemiol. 2001; 154: 635641.
35. Knopman D, Boland LL, Mosley T, Howard G, Liao D, Szklo M, McGovern P, Folsom AR for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators. Cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults. Neurology. 2001; 56: 4248.
36. Peila R, Rodriguez BL, Launer LJ. Type 2 diabetes, Apo E gene, and the risk of dementia and related pathologies: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Diabetes. 2002; 51: 12561262.
37. Launer LJ. Demonstrating the case that AD is a vascular disease: epidemiological evidence. Ageing Res Rev. 2002; 1: 6167.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
38. Kuo YM, Emmerling MR, Bisgaier CL, Essenburg AD, Lampert HC, Drumm D, Roher AE. Elevated low-density lipoprotein in Alzheimers disease correlates with brain Aß 1-42 levels. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998; 252: 711715.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
39. Lesser G, Kandiah K, Libow LS, Likourezos A, Breuer B, Marin D, Mohs R, Haroutunian V, Neufeld R. Elevated serum total and LDL cholesterol in very old patients with Alzheimers disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2001; 12: 138145.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
40. Roher AE, Kuo YM, Kokjohn KM, Emmerling MR, Gracon S. Amyloid and lipids in the pathology of Alzheimer disease. Amyloid Int J Exp Clin Invest. 1999; 6: 136145.
41. Mirra SS. The CERAD neuropathology protocol and consensus recommendations for the postmortem diagnosis of Alzheimers disease: a commentary. Neurobiol Aging. 1997; 18: S91S94.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
42. NIA-Reagan. Consensus recommendations for the postmortem diagnosis of Alzheimers disease: the National Institute on Aging, and Reagan Institute Working Group on Diagnostic Criteria for the Neuropathological Assessment of Alzheimers Disease. Neurobiol Aging. 1997; 18: S1S2.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
43. Braak H, Braak E. Neuropathological staging of Alzheimer-related changes. Acta Neuropathol. 1991; 82: 239259.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
44. Hixson JE, Vernier DT. Restriction isotyping of human apolipoprotein E by gene amplification and cleavage with HhaI. J Lipid Res. 1990; 31: 545548.[Abstract]
45. Ilveskoski E, Perola M, Lehtimaki T, Laippala P, Savolainen V, Pajarinen J, Penttila A, Lalu KH, Mannikko A, Liesto KK, Koivula T, Karhunen PJ. Age-dependent association of apolipoprotein E genotype with coronary and aortic atherosclerosis in middle-aged men: an autopsy study. Circulation. 1999; 100: 608613.
46. Vittinghoff E, Shlipak MG, Varosy PD, Furberg CD, Ireland CC, Khan SS, Blumenthal R, Barrett-Connor E, Hulley S. Risk factors and secondary prevention in women with heart disease: the Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study. Ann Intern Med. 2003; 138: 8189.
47. Yaffe K, Barrett-Conner E, Lin F, Grady D. Serum lipoprotein levels, statin use, and cognitive function in older women. Arch Neurol. 2002; 59: 378384.
48. Iadecola C, Gorelick PB. Converging pathogenic mechanisms in vascular and neurodegenerative dementia. Stroke. 2003; 34: 335337.
49. Niwa K, Kazama K, Younkin L, Younkin SG, Carlson GA, Iadecola C. Cerebrovascular autoregulation is profoundly impaired in mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2002; 283: H315H323.
50. Iadecola C, Zhang F, Niwa K, Turner SK, Fischer E, Younkin S, Borchelt DR, Hsiao KK, Carlson GA. SOD1 rescues cerebral endothelial dysfunction in mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein. Nature Neurosci. 1999; 2: 157161.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
51. Niwa K, Younkin L, Ebeling C, Turner SK, Westaway D, Younkin S, Hsiao Ashe K, Carlson GA, Iadecola C. Aß140-related reduction in functional hyperemia in mouse neocortex during somatosensory activation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000; 97: 97359740.
52. Jagust WJ, Budinger TF, Reed BR. The diagnosis of dementia with single photon emission computed tomography. Arch Neurol. 1987; 44: 258262.
53. Johnson KA, Mueller ST, Walshe TM, English RJ, Holman BL. Cerebral perfusion imaging in Alzheimers disease: use of single photon emission computed tomography and iofetamine hydrochloride I 123. Arch Neurol. 1987; 44: 165168.
54. Gonzalez RG, Fischman AJ, Guimaraes AR, Carr CA, Stern CE, Halpern EF, Growdon JH, Rosen BR. Functional MR in the evaluation of dementia: correlation of abnormal dynamic cerebral blood volume measurements with changes in cerebral metabolism on positron emission tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose F18. Am J Neuroradiol. 1995; 16: 17631770.[Abstract]
55. Harris GJ, Lewis RF, Satlin A, English CD, Scott TM, Yurgelun-Todd DA, Renshaw PF. Dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging of regional cerebral blood volume in Alzheimer disease: a promising alternative to nuclear medicine. Am J Neuroradiol. 1998; 19: 17271732.[Abstract]
56. Alsop DC, Detre JA, Grossman M. Assessment of cerebral blood flow in Alzheimers disease by spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging. Ann Neurol. 2000; 47: 93100.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
57. Corder EH, Saunders AM, Strittmatter WJ, Schmechel DE, Gaskell PC, Small GW, Roses AD, Haines PL, Pericak-Vance MA. Gene dose of apolipoprotein E type 4 allele and the risk of Alzheimers disease in late onset families. Science. 1993; 261: 921923.
58. Roher AE, Kuo YM, Esh C, Knebel C, Weiss N, Kalback W, Luehrs DC, Beach TG, Weller RO, Kokjohn TA. Cortical and leptomeningeal cerebro-vascular amyloid and white matter pathology in Alzheimers disease. Mol Med. 2003; 9: 112122.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
59. Sparks DL, Scheff SW, Hunsaker JC, Liu H, Landers T, Gross DR. Induction of Alzheimer like ß-amyloid immunoreactivity in the brains of rabbits with dietary cholesterol. Exp Neurol. 1994; 126: 8894.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
60. Refolo LM, Malester B, LaFrancois J, Bryant-Thomas T, Wang R, Tint GS, Sambamurti K, Duff K, Pappolla MA. Hypercholesterolemia accelerates the Alzheimers amyloid pathology in a transgenic mouse model. Neurobiol Dis. 2000; 7: 321331.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
61. Bodovitz S, Klein WL. Cholesterol modulates
-secretase cleavage of amyloid precursor protein. J Biol Chem. 1996; 271: 44364440.
62. Racchi M, Baetta R, Salvietti N, Ianna P, Franceschini G, Paoletti R, Fumagalli R, Govoni S, Trabucchi M, Soma M. Secretory processing of amyloid precursor protein is inhibited by increase in cellular cholesterol content. Biochem J. 1997; 322: 893898.
63. Simons M, Keller P, De Strooper B, Beyreuther K, Dotti CG, Simons K. Cholesterol depletion inhibits the generation of ß-amyloid in hippocampal neurons. Proc Nat Acad Sci U S A. 1998; 95: 64606464.
64. Puglielli L, Konopka G, Pack-Chung E, Ingano LA, Berezovska O, Hyman BT, Chang TY, Tanzi RE, Kovacs DM. Acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase modulates the generation of the ß-peptide. Nature Cell Biol. 2001; 3: 905912.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
65. Refolo LM, Pappolla MA, LaFrancois J, Malester B, Schmidt SD, Thomas-Bryant T, Tint GS, Wamg R, Mercken M, Petanceska SS, Duff KE. A cholesterol-lowering drug reduces ß-amyloid pathology in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimers disease. Neurobiol Dis. 2001; 8: 890899.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
66. Fassbender K, Simons M, Bergmann C, Stroick M, Lutjohann D, Keller P, Runz H, Kuhl S, Bertsch T, von Bergmann K, Hennerici M, Beyereuther K, Hartmann T. Simvastatin strongly reduces levels of Alzheimers disease ß-amyloid peptides Aß 42 and Aß 40 in vitro and in vivo. Proc Nat Acad Sci U S A. 2001; 98: 58565861.
67. Beach TG. The history of Alzheimers disease: three debates. J Hist Med Allied Sci. 1987; 42: 327349.
68. Sourander P, Sjogren H. The concept of Alzheimers disease and its clinical implications. In: Wolstenholme GEW, OConnor M, eds. Alzheimers Disease and Related Conditions. London: J&A Churchill; 1970: 1136.
69. Kuczmarski RJ, Flegal KM, Campbell SM, Johnson CL. Increasing prevalence of overweight among US adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 19601991. JAMA. 1994; 272: 205211.
70. Flegal KM, Carrol MD, Ogden CL, Johnson CL. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 19992000. JAMA. 2002; 288: 17231727.
71. Allison DB, Fontaine KR, Manson JE, Stevens J, VanItallie TB. Annual deaths attributable to obesity in the United States. JAMA. 1999; 282: 15301538.
72. Hahn RA, Teutsch SM, Rothenberg RB, Marks JS. Excess deaths from nine chronic diseases in the United States. JAMA. 1990; 264: 26542659.
73. McGinnis JM, Foege WH. Actual causes of death in the United States. JAMA. 1993; 270: 22072212.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
X.-K. Tong and E. Hamel Transforming Growth Factor-beta1 Impairs Endothelin-1-Mediated Contraction of Brain Vessels by Inducing Mitogen-Activated Protein (MAP) Kinase Phosphatase-1 and Inhibiting p38 MAP Kinase Mol. Pharmacol., December 1, 2007; 72(6): 1476 - 1483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. H. Kuller Green Banana*: Dementia Epidemiology Research: It Is Time to Modify the Focus of Research J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., December 1, 2006; 61(12): 1314 - 1318. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Thanvi and T. Robinson Sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy--an important cause of cerebral haemorrhage in older people Age Ageing, November 1, 2006; 35(6): 565 - 571. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. S. Beeri, M. Rapp, J. M. Silverman, J. Schmeidler, H. T. Grossman, J. T. Fallon, D. P. Purohit, D. P. Perl, A. Siddiqui, G. Lesser, et al. Coronary artery disease is associated with Alzheimer disease neuropathology in APOE4 carriers Neurology, May 9, 2006; 66(9): 1399 - 1404. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Silvestrini, P. Pasqualetti, R. Baruffaldi, M. Bartolini, Y. Handouk, M. Matteis, F. Moffa, L. Provinciali, and F. Vernieri Cerebrovascular Reactivity and Cognitive Decline in Patients With Alzheimer Disease Stroke, April 1, 2006; 37(4): 1010 - 1015. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. M. Erlich, K. L. Lunetta, L. A. Cupples, M. Huyck, R. C. Green, C. T. Baldwin, L. A. Farrer, and for the MIRAGE Study Group Polymorphisms in the PON gene cluster are associated with Alzheimer disease Hum. Mol. Genet., January 1, 2006; 15(1): 77 - 85. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
X.-K. Tong, N. Nicolakakis, A. Kocharyan, and E. Hamel Vascular Remodeling versus Amyloid {beta}-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Cerebrovascular Dysfunctions Associated with Alzheimer's Disease J. Neurosci., November 30, 2005; 25(48): 11165 - 11174. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. A. Velliquette, T. O'Connor, and R. Vassar Energy Inhibition Elevates {beta}-Secretase Levels and Activity and Is Potentially Amyloidogenic in APP Transgenic Mice: Possible Early Events in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis J. Neurosci., November 23, 2005; 25(47): 10874 - 10883. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. E. Roher, C. Esh, T. Kokjohn, L. Sue, T. Beach, L. S. Honig, W. Kukull, and R. Mayeux Atherosclerosis and AD: Analysis of data from the US National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Neurology, September 27, 2005; 65(6): 974 - 974. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. H. Kuller, O. L. Lopez, W. J. Jagust, J. T. Becker, S. T. DeKosky, C. Lyketsos, C. Kawas, J.C.S. Breitner, A. Fitzpatrick, and C. Dulberg Determinants of vascular dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study Neurology, May 10, 2005; 64(9): 1548 - 1552. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Park, J. Anrather, P. Zhou, K. Frys, R. Pitstick, S. Younkin, G. A. Carlson, and C. Iadecola NADPH Oxidase-Derived Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate the Cerebrovascular Dysfunction Induced by the Amyloid {beta} Peptide J. Neurosci., February 16, 2005; 25(7): 1769 - 1777. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. E. Roher, C. Esh, A. Rahman, T. A. Kokjohn, and T. G. Beach Atherosclerosis of Cerebral Arteries in Alzheimer Disease Stroke, November 1, 2004; 35(11_suppl_1): 2623 - 2627. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. Iadecola Atherosclerosis and Neurodegeneration: Unexpected Conspirators in Alzheimer's Dementia Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., November 1, 2003; 23(11): 1951 - 1953. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ATVB Home | Subscriptions | Archives | Feedback | Authors | Help | AHA Journals Home | Search Copyright © 2003 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. |