Citations 5
Transethnic genome‐wide scan identifies novel Alzheimer's disease loci
Jun, Gyungah , Chung, Jaeyoon , Beecham, Gary W. , Bennett, David A. , Buxbaum, Joseph D. , Byrd, Goldie S. , Carrasquillo, Minerva M., Crane, Paul K. , Cruchaga, Carlos , Jager, Philip L. De , Ertekin‐Taner, Nilüfer , Evans, Denis A., Fallin, M. Danielle, Friedland, Robert P. , Goate, Alison , Graff‐Radford, Neill R. , Hendrie, Hugh C. , Hall, Kathleen, Hamilton‐Nelson, Kara L., Kukull, Walter A. , Kunkle, Brian W. , Kuwano, Ryozo, Larson, Eric B., Martin, Eden R. , Montine, Thomas J. , Reiman, Eric M. , Reitz, Christiane, Sherva, Richard , George‐Hyslop, Peter St , Thornton, Timothy, Younkin, Steven G., Wang, Li‐San , Wendlund, Jens R., Winslow, Ashley R. , Adams, Perrie M. , Albert, Marilyn S. , Albin, Roger L. , Apostolova, Liana G. , Arnold, Steven E. , Asthana, Sanjay , Atwood, Craig , Barmada, Michjael M, Beach, Thomas G. , Bigio, Eileen H. , Bird, Thomas D., Blacker, Deborah , Bowen, James D. , Boxer, Adam, Cairns, Nigel J. , Cao, Chuanhai , Carlson, Chris , Carlsson, Cynthia M., Carney, Regina M., Carroll, Steven L. , Chui, Helena C., Clark, David G., Corneveaux, Jason J., Cribbs, David H. , DeKosky, Steven T. , Demirci, F. Yesim , Dick, Malcolm, Doody, Rachelle S., Duara, Ranjan , Faber, Kelley , Fairchild, Thomas, Fallon, Kenneth B., Farlow, Martin R. , Frosch, Matthew P. , Gearing, Marla , Geschwind, Daniel H. , Gilbert, John R., Glass, Jonathan D. , Growdon, John H., Håkonarson, Håkon , Hamilton, Ronald L. , Hardy, John , Harrell, Lindy E., Huentelman, Matthew J. , Hulette, Christine M., Jarvik, Gail P. , Jicha, Gregory A. , Jin, Lee‐Way, Karydas, Anna, Koo, Edward H. , Kowall, Neil W. , Kramer, Joel H. , LaFerla, Frank M. , Leverenz, James B. , Ge, Li , Lieberman, Andrew P. , Lin, Chiao‐Feng , Lyketsos, Constantine G. , Mack, Wendy J. , Marson, Daniel , Martiniuk, Frank , Mash, Deborah C. , Masliah, Eliezer , McCormick, Wayne C., McKee, Ann C. , Mesulam, Marsel, Miller, Carol A., Miller, Joshua W., Morris, John C. , Murrell, Jill R. , Olichney, John , Parisi, Joseph E., Partch, Amanda, Paulson, Henry L. , Peskind, Elaine R. , Petersen, Ronald , Pierce, Aimee, Poon, Wayne W. , Raj, Ashok , Raskind, Murray A. , Reisch, Joan, Ringman, John M. , Rosen, Howard J., Rosenberg, Roger N., Royall, Donald R., Sager, Mark A., Sano, Mary , Saykin, Andrew J. , Schneider, Lon S. , Smith, Amanda , Sonnen, Joshua A. , Tanzi, Rudolph E. , Thornton‐Wells, Tricia A., Trojanowski, John Q. , Troncoso, Juan C. , Vinters, Harry V. , Vonsattel, Jean Paul, Weıntraub, Sandra , Wishnek, Sarah, Woltjer, Randall L. , Wright, Clinton B., Wu, Chuang‐Kuo, Yu, Chang‐En , Yu, Lei , Haines, Jonathan L. , Mayeux, Richard , Pericak‐Vance, Margaret A. , Schellenberg, Gerard, Lunetta, Kathryn L. , Farrer, Lindsay A. , Bennett, David A. , Mez, Jesse , Barber, Robert C. , Carrasquillo, Minerva M. , Cruchaga, Carlos , Foroud, Tatiana , Hamilton‐Nelson, Kara L. , Inzelberg, Rivka , Kamboh, M. Ilyas , Kauwe, John S. K. , Logue, Mark W. , Manly, Jennifer J. , Mukherjee, Shubhabrata , Naj, Adam Christian , Sherva, Richard , Vardarajan, Badri Narayan , Barnes, Lisa L. , Becker, James T. , Boeve, Bradley F. , Burke, James R. , Carlsson, Cynthia M. , Chui, Helena C. , Crocco, Elizabeth , DeCarli, Charles , Dickson, Dennis W. , Duara, Ranjan , Ferris, Steven H. , Galasko, Douglas , Ghetti, Bernardino , Green, Robert C. , Head, Elizabeth , Honig, Lawrence S. , Huebinger, Ryan , Hyman, Bradley T. , Kaye, Jeffrey , Kim, Ronald , Lah, James J. , Levey, Allan I. , Li, Ge, López, Oscar L. , McCurry, Susan M. , McDavid, Andrew , Mesulam, Marsel M. , Miller, Bruce L. , Myers, Amanda , O’Bryant, Sid E. , Pankratz, V. Shane , Perry, William , Potter, Huntington , Quinn, Joseph F. , Reisberg, Barry , Roberson, Erik D. , Rogaeva, Ekaterina A. , Schneider, Julie A. , Seeley, William W. , Spina, Salvatore , Stern, Robert A. , Tsuang, Debby W. , Deerlin, Vivianna M. Van , Eldik, Linda J. Van , Welsh-Bohmer, Kathleen Anne , Williamson, Jennifer , Zhang, Xiaoling , Hakonarson, Hakon , Saykin, Andrew J , Leverenz, James B , Jarvik, Gail P , Paulson, Henry L , Hardy, John , Morris, John C , Goate, Alison M , Jicha, Gregory A , Sonnen, Joshua
Alzheimer's & Dementia | February 6, 2017 | Volume: 13 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 727-738
Abstract Introduction Genetic loci for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been identified in whites of European ancestry, but the genetic architecture of AD among other populations is less understood. Methods We conducted a transethnic genome‐wide association study (GWAS) for late‐onset AD in Stage 1 sample including whites of European Ancestry, African‐Americans, Japanese, and Israeli‐Arabs assembled by the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium. Suggestive results from Stage 1 from novel loci were followed up using summarized results in the International Genomics Alzheimer's Project GWAS dataset. Results Genome‐wide significant (GWS) associations in single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)–based tests ( P < 5 × 10 −8 ) were identified for SNPs in PFDN1/HBEGF , USP6NL/ECHDC3 , and BZRAP1‐AS1 and for the interaction of the (apolipoprotein E) APOE ε4 allele with NFIC SNP. We also obtained GWS evidence ( P < 2.7 × 10 −6 ) for gene‐based association in the total sample with a novel locus, TPBG ( P = 1.8 × 10 −6 ). Discussion Our findings highlight the value of transethnic studies for identifying novel AD susceptibility loci.
Rarity of the Alzheimer Disease–ProtectiveAPPA673T Variant in the United States
Wang, Li-San, Graham, Robert , Crane, Paul K. , Kunkle, Brian W. , Cruchaga, Carlos , Murcia, Josue D. Gonzalez , Cannon‐Albright, Lisa , Baldwin, Clinton T., Blennow, Kaj , Kukull, Walter A. , Faber, Kelley M., Schupf, Nicole , Norton, Maria C. , Tschanz, JoAnn T. , Munger, Ronald G. , Corcoran, Christopher, Lin, Chiao‐Feng , Dombroski, Beth A. , Cantwell, Laura B., Partch, Amanda, Håkonarson, Håkon , George‐Hyslop, Peter St , Goate, Alison , Foroud, Tatiana, Carney, Regina M., Larson, Eric B., Behrens, Timothy W. , Kauwe, John, Haines, Jonathan L. , Farrer, Lindsay A. , Pericak‐Vance, Margaret A. , Mayeux, Richard , Schellenberg, Gerard D., Albert, Marilyn S. , Albin, Roger L. , Apostolova, Liana G. , Arnold, Steven E. , Barber, Robert W., Barmada, M. Michael , Beach, Thomas G. , Beecham, Gary W. , Beekly, Duane, Bennett, David A. , Bigio, Eileen H. , Bird, Thomas D., Blacker, Deborah , Bowen, James D. , Boxer, Adam, Buxbaum, Joseph D. , Cairns, Nigel J. , Cao, Chuanhai , Carlson, Chris , Carroll, Steven L. , Chui, Helena C., Clark, David G., Cribbs, David H. , DeCarli, Charles , DeKosky, Steven T. , Demirci, F. Yesim , Dick, Malcolm, Duara, Ranjan , Ertekin‐Taner, Nilüfer , Fallon, Kenneth B., Farlow, Martin R. , Ferris, Steven H. , Frosch, Matthew P. , Gearing, Marla , Geschwind, Daniel H. , Gilbert, John R., Glass, Jonathan D. , Graff‐Radford, Neill R. , Growdon, John H., Hamilton, Ronald L. , Hamilton‐Nelson, Kara L., Harrell, Lindy E., Hulette, Christine M., Jicha, Gregory A. , Jin, Lee‐Way, Jun, Gyungah , Kamboh, M. Ilyas , Karydas, Anna, Koo, Edward H. , Kowall, Neil W. , Kramer, Joel H. , Kramer, Patricia, LaFerla, Frank M. , Leverenz, James B. , Lieberman, Andrew P. , Lunetta, Kathryn L. , Lyketsos, Constantine G. , Mack, Wendy J. , Marson, Daniel , Martin, Eden R. , Martiniuk, Frank , Mash, Deborah C. , Masliah, Eliezer , McCormick, Wayne C., McKee, Ann C. , Miller, Carol A., Miller, Joshua W., Montine, Thomas J. , Morris, John C. , Murrell, Jill R. , Olichney, John , Parisi, Joseph E., Peskind, Elaine R. , Petersen, Ronald , Pierce, Aimee, Poon, Wayne W. , Raj, Ashok , Raskind, Murray A. , Reiman, Eric M. , Reisberg, Barry , Reitz, Christiane , Ringman, John M. , Rosen, Howard J., Rosenberg, Roger N., Sano, Mary , Saykin, Andrew J. , Schneider, Lon S. , Smith, Amanda , Sonnen, Joshua A. , Stern, Robert A. , Tanzi, Rudolph E. , Thornton‐Wells, Tricia A., Trojanowski, John Q. , Troncoso, Juan C. , Tsuang, Debby W. , Vinters, Harry V. , Vonsattel, Jean Paul, Weıntraub, Sandra , Wishnek, Sarah, Woltjer, Randall L. , Wright, Clinton B., Younkin, Steven G., Yu, Chang‐En , Yu, Lei , DeCarli, Charles , Wang, Li-San, Naj, Adam Christian , Cruchaga, Carlos , Zetterberg, Henrik , Rogaeva, Ekaterina A. , Valladares, Otto , Green, Robert C. , Barnes, Lisa L. , Becker, James T. , Boeve, Bradley F. , Burke, James R. , Chui, Helena C. , Crocco, Elizabeth , Dickson, Dennis W. , Duara, Ranjan , Galasko, Douglas , Ganguli, Mary , Ghetti, Bernardino , Hamilton‐Nelson, Kara L. , Head, Elizabeth , Honig, Lawrence S. , Hyman, Bradley T. , Jarvik, Gail P. , Kaye, Jeffrey , Kim, Ronald , Lah, James J. , Levey, Allan I. , Li, Ge , López, Oscar L. , McCurry, Susan M. , McDavid, Andrew , Mesulam, Marsel M. , Miller, Bruce L. , Perry, William , Potter, Huntington , Quinn, Joseph F. , Roberson, Erik D. , Schneider, Julie A. , Seeley, William W. , Spina, Salvatore , Deerlin, Vivianna M. Van , Eldik, Linda J. Van , Vardarajan, Badri Narayan , Welsh-Bohmer, Kathleen Anne , Williamson, Jennifer , Bennett, David A. , Hakonarson, Hakon , Saykin, Andrew J , Leverenz, James B , Cannon-Albright, Lisa A , Stern, Robert A , Morris, John C , Goate, Alison M , Jicha, Gregory A , Sonnen, Joshua
JAMA Neurology | December 22, 2014 | Volume: 72 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 209
Effects of Multiple Genetic Loci on Age at Onset in Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease
Jun, Gyungah , Reitz, Christiane, Kunkle, Brian W. , Park, Yo Son, Beecham, Gary W. , Rajbhandary, Ruchita, Hamilton‐Nelson, Kara L., Wang, Li-San, Kauwe, John, Huentelman, Matthew J. , Bird, Thomas D., Baldwin, Clinton T., Jarvik, Gail P. , Crane, Paul K. , Barmada, M. Michael , Demirci, F. Yesim , Cruchaga, Carlos , Kramer, Patricia L., Ertekin‐Taner, Nilüfer , Hardy, John , Graff‐Radford, Neill R. , Larson, Eric B., George‐Hyslop, Peter St , Buxbaum, Joseph D. , Evans, Denis A., Lunetta, Kathryn L. , Kamboh, M. Ilyas , Saykin, Andrew J. , Reiman, Eric M. , Jager, Philip L. De , Morris, John C. , Montine, Thomas J. , Goate, Alison , Blacker, Deborah , Tsuang, Debby W. , Håkonarson, Håkon , Kukull, Walter A. , Foroud, Tatiana, Martin, Eden R. , Haines, Jonathan L. , Mayeux, Richard , Farrer, Lindsay A. , Schellenberg, Gerard D., Pericak‐Vance, Margaret A. , Albert, Marilyn S. , Albin, Roger L. , Apostolova, Liana G. , Arnold, Steven E. , Barber, Robert W., Beach, Thomas G. , Beekly, Duane, Bigio, Eileen H. , Bowen, James D. , Boxer, Adam, Cairns, Nigel J. , Cantwell, Laura B., Cao, Chuanhai , Carlson, Chris , Carney, Regina M., Carrasquillo, Minerva M., Carroll, Steven L. , Chui, Helena C., Clark, David G., Corneveaux, Jason J., Cribbs, David H. , DeCarli, Charles , DeKosky, Steven T. , Dick, Malcolm, Duara, Ranjan , Faber, Kelley M., Fallon, Kenneth B., Farlow, Martin R. , Ferris, Steven H. , Frosch, Matthew P. , Gearing, Marla , Geschwind, Daniel H. , Gilbert, John R., Glass, Jonathan D. , Growdon, John H., Hamilton, Ronald L. , Harrell, Lindy E., Hulette, Christine M., Jicha, Gregory A. , Jin, Lee‐Way, Karydas, Anna, Koo, Edward H. , Kowall, Neil W. , Kramer, Joel H. , LaFerla, Frank M. , Leverenz, James B. , Li, Ge , Lieberman, Andrew P. , Lin, Chiao‐Feng , Lyketsos, Constantine G. , Mack, Wendy J. , Martiniuk, Frank , Mash, Deborah C. , Masliah, Eliezer , McCormick, Wayne C., McKee, Ann C. , Miller, Carol A., Miller, Joshua W., Murrell, Jill R. , Olichney, John , Parisi, Joseph E., Paulson, Henry L. , Peskind, Elaine R. , Petersen, Ronald , Pierce, Aimee, Poon, Wayne W. , Raj, Ashok , Raskind, Murray A. , Reisberg, Barry , Ringman, John M. , Rosen, Howard J., Rosenberg, Roger N., Sano, Mary , Schneider, Lon S. , Smith, Amanda , Sonnen, Joshua A. , Stern, Robert A. , Tanzi, Rudolph E. , Thornton‐Wells, Tricia A., Trojanowski, John Q. , Troncoso, Juan C. , Vinters, Harry V. , Vonsattel, Jean Paul, Weıntraub, Sandra , Wishnek, Sarah, Woltjer, Randall L. , Wright, Clinton B., Younkin, Steven G., Yu, Chang‐En , Yu, Lei, Bennett, David A. , DeCarli, Charles , Pankratz, Vernon S, Naj, Adam Christian , Perry, William , Hamilton‐Nelson, Kara L. , Wang, Li-San, Myers, Amanda , Boeve, Bradley F. , Rogaeva, Ekaterina A. , Cruchaga, Carlos , Kramer, P. L., Green, Robert C. , Schneider, Julie A. , Bennett, David , Barnes, Lisa L. , Becker, James T. , Burke, James R. , Carrasquillo, Minerva M. , Chui, Helena C. , Crocco, Elizabeth , Dickson, Dennis W. , Duara, Ranjan , Galasko, Douglas , Ganguli, Mary , Ghetti, Bernardino , Head, Elizabeth , Honig, Lawrence S. , Hyman, Bradley T. , Kaye, Jeffrey , Kim, Ronald , Lah, James J. , Levey, Allan I. , López, Oscar L. , McCurry, Susan M. , McDavid, Andrew , Mesulam, Marsel M. , Miller, Bruce L. , Pankratz, V. Shane , Potter, Huntington , Quinn, Joseph F. , Roberson, Erik D. , Seeley, William W. , Spina, Salvatore , Valladares, Otto , Deerlin, Vivianna M. Van , Eldik, Linda J. Van , Vardarajan, Badri Narayan , Welsh-Bohmer, Kathleen Anne , Williamson, Jennifer , Bennett, David A. , Hakonarson, Hakon , Saykin, Andrew J , Leverenz, James B , Jarvik, Gail P , Paulson, Henry L , Stern, Robert A , Hardy, John , Morris, John C , Goate, Alison M , Jicha, Gregory A , Sonnen, Joshua
JAMA Neurology | September 8, 2014 | Volume: 71 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 1394
O4‐04‐05: ASSOCIATION OF ALZHEIMER DISEASE GWAS LOCI WITH MRI‐MARKERS OF BRAIN AGING
Bis, Joshua C. , Yu, Lei , Schmidt, Helena , DeCarli, Charlie S., Bennett, David A. , Schmidt, Reinhold, Longstreth, W.T. , Fornage, Myriam , Chauhan, Ganesh , Adams, Hieab H.H. , Weinstein, Galit , Smith, Albert V. , Lee, Sven J. van der , López, Oscar L. , Becker, James T. , Vernooij, Meike W. , Srikanth, Velandai , Knopman, David S. , Amouyel, Philippe , Tzourio, Christophe , Duijn, Cornelia M. van , Mosley, Thomas H. , Launer, Lenore J. , Seshadri, Sudha , Ikram, M. Arfan , Debette, Stéphanie
Alzheimer's & Dementia | September 6, 2014 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 4S_Part_4 | Pages: No page available
A commonly carried allele of the obesity-related FTO gene is associated with reduced brain volume in the healthy elderly
Ho, April J., Stein, Jason L. , Hua, Xue , Lee, Suh , Hibar, Derrek P., Leow, Alex , Dinov, Ivo D. , Toga, Arthur W. , Saykin, Andrew J. , Shen, Li , Pankratz, Nathan , Huentelman, Matthew J. , Craig, David W. , Gerber, Jill D., Allen, April N., Corneveaux, Jason J., Stephan, Dietrich A. , DeCarli, Charles , Dechairo, Bryan, Jack, Clifford R. , Weiner, Michael W. , Raji, Cyrus A. , Becker, James T. , Carmichael, Owen , Thompson, Paul M. , Initiative, the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging, Thal, Leon J., Petersen, Ronald C., Jagust, William J. , Trojanowki, John Q., Toga, Arthur W., Gamst, Anthony, Potter, William Z., Montine, Tom, Anders, Dale, Felmlee, Joel P. , Schuff, Norbert, Alexander, Gene E. , Bandy, Dan, Foster, Norm, Reiman, Eric M. , Shaw, Les, Korecka, Magdalena , Toga, Arthur W., Crawford, Karen , Neu, Scott, Kornak, John , Kachaturian, Zaven, Frank, Richard , Molchan, Susan, Vorobik, Remi, Schneider, Lon S. , Pawluczyk, Sonia, Spann, Bryan , Fleisher, Adam , Vanderswag, Helen, Heidebrink, Judith L. , Johnson, Kris , Doody, Rachelle S., Villanueva‐Meyer, Javier , Chowdhury, Munir , Bell, Karen L. , Mintun, Mark A., Schneider, Stacy, Marson, Daniel , Griffith, Randall, Badger, Beverly, Grossman, Hillel, deToledo‐Morrell, Leyla, Bach, Julie , Duara, Ranjan , Isaacson, Richard , Strauman, Silvia, Albert, Marilyn S. , Pedroso, Julia, Toroney, Jaimie, Santi, Susan M De, Doraiswamy, P. Murali , Petrella, Jeffrey R. , Aiello, Marilyn, Clark, Christopher M. , Pham, Cassie, Nuñez, Jessica, Smith, Charles D., Given, Curtis A., Hardy, Peter , DeKosky, Steven T. , Oakley, MaryAnn, Simpson, Donna M., Ismail, M. Saleem , McCallum, Colleen, Cramer, Steven C. , Mulnard, Ruth A., Mc-Adams-Ortiz, Catherine, Martin-Cook, Kristen, Devous, Michael D. , Cellar, Janet S., Anderson, Heather S., Laubinger, Mary M., Bartzokis, George, Lu, Po H. , Fletcher, Rita, Parfitt, Francine, Farlow, Martin R. , Herring, Scott, Hake, Ann Marie , Dyck, Christopher H. van , MacAvoy, Martha G., Bifano, Laurel A., Chertkow, Howard, Bergman, Howard , Hosein, Chris, Graham, Simon J. , Caldwell, Curtis, Assaly, Michele, Hsiung, Ging‐Yuek Robin , Kertesz, Andrew , Trost, Dick, Bernick, Charles , Johnson, Nancy , Sadowsky, Carl, Villena, Teresa, Mesner, Scott, Aisen, Paul, Johnson, Kathleen, Behan, Kelly E., Johnson, Keith A. , Rosen, Allyson , Tinklenberg, Jared, Ashford, Wes, Connor, Donald J., Obradov, Sanja, Jayam‐Trouth, Annapurni , Wang, Paul J. , Auchus, Alexander P. , Huang, Juebin , DeCarli, Charles , Kittur, Smita, Mirje, Seema, Borrie, Michael, Lee, T‐Y, Asthana, Sanjay , Carlsson, Cynthia M., Highum, Diane, Preda, Adrian , Tariot, Pierre N. , Hendin, Barry , Kataki, Maria , Zimmerman, Earl A. , Celmins, Dzintra, Brown, Alice D., Gandy, Sam, Marenberg, Marjorie E., Rovner, Barry W. , Blank, Karen, Anderson, Karen, Santulli, Robert B. , Paré, Nadia, Williamson, Jeff D. , Raj, Balebail Ashok, Giordano, Amy T., Ott, Brian R. , Wu, Chuang‐Kuo, Cohen, Ronald A. , Wilks, Kerri, Lee, Ting‐Yim , Foroud, Tatiana , Potkin, Steven G. , López, Oscar L. , Initiative, the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging, Toga, Arthur W., Beckett, Laurel , Green, Robert C. , Bernstein, Matt A. , Fox, Nick C. , Koeppe, Robert A. , Foster, Norm, Chen, Kewei , Lee, Virginia M.‐Y. , Toga, Arthur W., Harvey, Danielle , Snyder, Peter J. , Kaye, Jeffrey , Quinn, Joseph F. , Lord, Joanne L. , Stern, Yaakov , Honig, Lawrence S. , Morris, John C. , Tang, Cheuk Ying , Stern, Jessica A. , Shah, Raj C. , Duara, Ranjan , Rusinek, Henry , Leon, Mony J. de , Porsteinsson, Anton P. , Diaz‐Arrastia, Ramon , Levey, Allan I. , Lah, James J. , Burns, Jeffrey M. , Silverman, Daniel H.S. , Johnson, Heather K. , Black, Sandra E. , Feldman, Howard , ROGERS, John H. , Gitelman, Darren R. , Mesulam, Marsel M. , Sperling, Reisa Anne , Rentz, Dorene M. , Sabbagh, Marwan Noel , Killiany, Ronald , Norbash, Alexander , Obisesan, Thomas O. , Friedland, Robert P. , Fletcher, Evan M. , Johnson, Sterling C. , Nguyen, Dana R. , Scharre, Douglas W. , Beversdorf, David Q. , Gandy, Sam , Pearlson, Godfrey D. , Sink, Kaycee M. , Potter, Huntington , Jack, Clifford R , Saykin, Andrew J , Shen, Li , Preda, Adrian , Toga, Arthur W , Stein, Jason L , Thompson, Paul M , Hsiung, Gink-Yuek , Pankratz, Nathan
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | April 19, 2010 | Volume: 107 | Issue: 18 | Pages: 8404-8409
A recently identified variant within the fat mass and obesity-associated ( FTO ) gene is carried by 46% of Western Europeans and is associated with an ~1.2 kg higher weight, on average, in adults and an ~1 cm greater waist circumference. With >1 billion overweight and 300 million obese persons worldwide, it is crucial to understand the implications of carrying this very common allele for the health of our aging population. FTO is highly expressed in the brain and elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with brain atrophy, but it is unknown how the obesity-associated risk allele affects human brain structure. We therefore generated 3D maps of regional brain volume differences in 206 healthy elderly subjects scanned with MRI and genotyped as part of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. We found a pattern of systematic brain volume deficits in carriers of the obesity-associated risk allele versus noncarriers. Relative to structure volumes in the mean template, FTO risk allele carriers versus noncarriers had an average brain volume difference of ~8% in the frontal lobes and 12% in the occipital lobes—these regions also showed significant volume deficits in subjects with higher BMI. These brain differences were not attributable to differences in cholesterol levels, hypertension, or the volume of white matter hyperintensities; which were not detectably higher in FTO risk allele carriers versus noncarriers. These brain maps reveal that a commonly carried susceptibility allele for obesity is associated with structural brain atrophy, with implications for the health of the elderly.