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Apolipoprotein E, dementia, and cortical deposition of beta-amyloid protein
Polvikoski T, Sulkava R, Haltia M, Kainulainen K, Vuorio A, Verkkoniemi A, Niinistö L, Halonen P et al.. The New England journal of medicine, 1995-11-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background The epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E has been associated with an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease. In a cohort of elderly subjects we prospectively investigated the relation between the apolipoprotein E genotype, dementia, and the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the cerebral cortex. Methods Autopsy involving neuropathological analysis and DNA analysis of frozen blood samples were performed in 92 of 271 persons who were at least 85 years of age, who had been living in Vantaa, Finland, on April 1, 1991, and who had died between that time and the end of 1993. All subjects had been tested for dementia. Apolipoprotein E genotyping was done with a solid-phase minisequencing technique. The percentage of the cortex occupied by methenamine silver-stained plaques was used as an estimate of the extent of beta-amyloid protein deposition. Results The frequency of the epsilon 4 allele was significantly higher in the subjects with Alzheimer's disease than in the subjects without dementia (30 percent vs. 8 percent, P Conclusions The epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E is significantly associated with Alzheimer's disease. Even in elderly subjects without dementia, the apolipoprotein E genotype is related to the degree of deposition of beta-amyloid protein in the cerebral cortex.
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APA 7th
Polvikoski, T., Sulkava, R., Haltia, M., Kainulainen, K., Vuorio, A., Verkkoniemi, A., et al. (1995). Apolipoprotein E, dementia, and cortical deposition of beta-amyloid protein. The New England journal of medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199511093331902
Vancouver
Polvikoski T, Sulkava R, Haltia M, Kainulainen K, Vuorio A, Verkkoniemi A, et al. Apolipoprotein E, dementia, and cortical deposition of beta-amyloid protein. The New England journal of medicine. 1995. doi:10.1056/nejm199511093331902. PMID: 7566000.
BibTeX
@article{polvikoski1995-7566000,
author = {Polvikoski, T. and Sulkava, R. and Haltia, M. and Kainulainen, K. and Vuorio, A. and Verkkoniemi, A. and Niinistö, L. and Halonen, P. and others},
title = {{Apolipoprotein E, dementia, and cortical deposition of beta-amyloid protein}},
journal = {The New England journal of medicine},
year = {1995},
doi = {10.1056/nejm199511093331902},
pmid = {7566000},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199511093331902}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Background The epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E has been associated with an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
- Results The frequency of the epsilon 4 allele was significantly higher in the subjects with Alzheimer's disease than in the subjects without dementia (30 percent vs. 8 percent, P Conclusions The epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E is significantly associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
In 92 autopsied people aged 85 or older from a population cohort in Vantaa, Finland (out of 271 eligible), the ε4 form of the apolipoprotein E gene made up 30% of gene copies in those with Alzheimer's disease versus 8% in those without dementia. Even among those without dementia, APOE genotype was related to how much of the cortex was covered by amyloid plaques, the study's estimate of beta-amyloid deposition. This shows an association in the very old, not that ε4 causes amyloid or dementia, and the stored abstract gives no figures for the plaque result.
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Study details
- Participants271
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 59/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (The New England journal of medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | New England Journal of Medicine: journal h-index 1,505 (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 | 1995 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 271 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 493 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.9 citations a year over 33 year(s) since 1995 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 20.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 43 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 21 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author KIMMO K. KONTULA: h-index 69 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Helsinki: institution h-index 1,201 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 7566000) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 59 / 100 | — |
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