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Gene-environment interactions in Alzheimer's disease: A potential path to precision medicine
Eid A, Mhatre I, Richardson JR.. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 2019-03-12
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the United States and afflicts >5.7 million Americans in 2018. Therapeutic options remain extremely limited to those that are symptom targeting, while no drugs have been approved for the modification or reversal of the disease itself. Risk factors for AD including aging, the female sex, as well as carrying an APOE4 genotype. These risk factors have been extensively examined in the literature, while less attention has been paid to modifiable risk factors, including lifestyle, and environmental risk factors such as exposures to air pollution and pesticides. This review highlights the most recent data on risk factors in AD and identifies gene by environment interactions that have been investigated. It also provides a suggested framework for a personalized therapeutic approach to AD, by combining genetic, environmental and lifestyle risk factors. Understanding modifiable risk factors and their interaction with non-modifiable factors (age, susceptibility alleles, and sex) is paramount for designing personalized therapeutic interventions.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Eid, A., Mhatre, I., & Richardson, JR. (2019). Gene-environment interactions in Alzheimer's disease: A potential path to precision medicine. Pharmacology & therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.03.005
Vancouver
Eid A, Mhatre I, Richardson JR. Gene-environment interactions in Alzheimer's disease: A potential path to precision medicine. Pharmacology & therapeutics. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.03.005. PMID: 30877021.
BibTeX
@article{eid2019-30877021,
author = {Eid, A. and Mhatre, I. and Richardson, JR.},
title = {{Gene-environment interactions in Alzheimer's disease: A potential path to precision medicine}},
journal = {Pharmacology \& therapeutics},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.03.005},
pmid = {30877021},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.03.005}
}
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Key findings
- Risk factors for AD including aging, the female sex, as well as carrying an APOE4 genotype.
- These risk factors have been extensively examined in the literature, while less attention has been paid to modifiable risk factors, including lifestyle, and environmental risk factors such as exposures to air pollution and pesticides.
- This review highlights the most recent data on risk factors in AD and identifies gene by environment interactions that have been investigated.
- It also provides a suggested framework for a personalized therapeutic approach to AD, by combining genetic, environmental and lifestyle risk factors.
- Understanding modifiable risk factors and their interaction with non-modifiable factors (age, susceptibility alleles, and sex) is paramount for designing personalized therapeutic interventions.
Why it matters
This review argues that modifiable factors such as lifestyle, air pollution and pesticide exposure, together with non-modifiable factors like age, sex and APOE4, should be combined into personalized prevention and treatment approaches. It is a review of existing data and a suggested framework, not a trial showing that such an approach works.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Pharmacology & therapeutics) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Pharmacology & Therapeutics: journal h-index 296 (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 | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 166 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 18.4 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 83 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jason R. Richardson: h-index 53 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Florida International University: institution h-index 537 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30877021) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.03.005
- PubMed: 30877021
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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