APOE epsilon4 allele is associated with reduced cerebrospinal fluid levels of Abeta42
Prince JA, Zetterberg H, Andreasen N, Marcusson J, Blennow K.. Neurology, 2004-06-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
The epsilon4 allele of APOE is a risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD). By analysis of a large cohort of AD patients (n = 563) and control subjects (n = 118), it is shown that the epsilon4 allele is strongly associated with reduced CSF levels of beta-amyloid (1-42) (Abeta42) in both AD (p < 10(-9)) and control (p = 0.0012) populations. As no associations of APOE variants with other indexes of AD severity were observed, this effect may reflect a fundamental involvement of ApoE in Abeta metabolism.
Key findings
- By analysis of a large cohort of AD patients (n = 563) and control subjects (n = 118), it is shown that the epsilon4 allele is strongly associated with reduced CSF levels of beta-amyloid (1-42) (Abeta42) in both AD (p < 10(-9)) and control (p = 0.0012) populations.
Why it matters
In a large group of Alzheimer patients and controls, carrying the APOE epsilon4 allele was strongly linked to lower CSF levels of amyloid-beta42. This suggests APOE may be involved in how amyloid-beta is handled, but it does not show that measuring or changing this alters disease.
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Study details
- Participants563
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2004 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 563 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 128 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.3 citations a year over 24 year(s) since 2004 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 17 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Kaj Blennow: h-index 220 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 15184629) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Prince, J. A., Zetterberg, H., Andreasen, N., Marcusson, J., & Blennow, K. (2004). APOE epsilon4 allele is associated with reduced cerebrospinal fluid levels of Abeta42. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000128088.08695.05
Vancouver
Prince JA, Zetterberg H, Andreasen N, Marcusson J, Blennow K. APOE epsilon4 allele is associated with reduced cerebrospinal fluid levels of Abeta42. Neurology. 2004. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000128088.08695.05. PMID: 15184629.
BibTeX
@article{prince2004-15184629,
author = {Prince, J. A. and Zetterberg, H. and Andreasen, N. and Marcusson, J. and Blennow, K.},
title = {{APOE epsilon4 allele is associated with reduced cerebrospinal fluid levels of Abeta42}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1212/01.wnl.0000128088.08695.05},
pmid = {15184629},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000128088.08695.05}
}
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