EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1999 For more information contact: Sarah Parsons (651) 695-2732 [email protected]
Alzheimer-Related Gene Affects Recovery from Head Injury
ST. PAUL, MN (January 29, 1999) -- Survivors of traumatic brain injuries are less likely to recover well if they have the gene variant ApoE-4, or apolipoprotein E-4, according to a study published in the current issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The ApoE-4 gene type is also associated with an increased risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease.
In the study, 69 people who suffered blunt head injuries were evaluated for six to eight months by researchers in Israel.
Those who did not adequately recover from the brain damage were 5.6 times more likely to have the ApoE-4 gene than those who did recover well, according to study author Zeev Groswasser, MD, MPH, of Tel Aviv University. A good recovery was considered the ability to live independently and the lack of language or behavioral problems and severe cognitive abnormalities.
"This study shows that a person's genetic constitution is important in the ability to recover from trauma to the brain," Groswasser said. "This could be very important in tailoring the proper treatment to each patient and in identifying patients who need more intensive rehabilitation after an injury."
Only one of the 27 study participants with the ApoE-4 gene had an excellent recovery, compared to 13 of the 42 participants without the E-4 gene. Those with the E-4 gene were also more likely to remain unconscious following the brain injury for more than seven days.
Apolipoprotein E is a type of protein that carries cholesterol and fats in the blood. People inherit different types of the gene -- type 1, 2, 3 or 4. The protein produced by the gene helps cells repair damaged membranes, or cell walls, by transferring the fats needed to repair the walls. But people with the ApoE-4 gene have a decreased ability to transfer the fats properly, according to Groswasser.
Groswasser said methods need to be developed to treat people with ApoE-4 to improve the cell repair ability. "Also more effective treatments need to be developed for such patients during recovery from traumatic brain injury," he said. "This could include gene therapy, which could perhaps prevent development of Alzheimer's disease."
Improving care for patients with traumatic brain injuries and other neurological disorders is the goal of the American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 15,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals.
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Editor's Note: Neurology is now published 18 times per year, with two issues in January, March, April, July, September and October. This study is published in the second January issue.
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