Background: Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) is a risk factor for β-amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease dementia. Its influence on β-amyloid deposition in speech and language disorders, including primary progressive aphasia (PPA), is unclear.
Methods: One hundred thirty subjects with PPA or progressive speech apraxia underwent APOE genotyping and Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET scanning. The relationship between APOE ε4 and PiB status, as well as severity and regional distribution of PiB, was assessed.
Results: Forty-five subjects had an APOE ε4 allele and 60 subjects were PiB-positive. The odds ratio for a subject with APOE ε4 being PiB-positive compared with a subject without APOE ε4 being PiB-positive was 10.2 (95% confidence interval, 4.4-25.5; P < .0001). The APOE ε4 allele did not influence regional PiB distribution or severity.
Conclusion: APOE ε4 increases the risk of β-amyloid deposition in PPA and progressive speech apraxia but does not influence regional β-amyloid distribution or severity.
Keywords: Apolipoprotein; Logopenic aphasia; Pittsburgh compound B; Primary progressive aphasia; Speech apraxia.
Copyright © 2014 The Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.