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Genetic association of acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase with cerebrospinal fluid cholesterol levels, brain amyloid load, and risk for Alzheimer's disease

Molecular Psychiatry volume 8, pages 635–638 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

A common polymorphism of the gene encoding acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1), which is involved in the regulation of β-amyloid peptide generation, is associated with low brain amyloid load (P=0.03) and with low cerebrospinal fluid levels of cholesterol (P=0.005). This polymorphism of SOAT1 is also associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease in ethnically distinct populations (P=0.0001, odds ratio: 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.4–0.8).

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Esmeralda Garcia, Ms Christin Wilde, Mrs Andrea Walther, and Ms Estelle Obrist for their patient care and sampling. The technical expertise of Ms Anja Kerksiek is gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported in parts by grants of the Swiss Science National Foundation (32-65869.01) and the Roche Research Foundation (22-2001) to AP, by the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Forschung, Wissenschaft und Technologie (01EC9402) to DL and KvB, by the National Center for Competence in Research (NCCR) ‘Neuronal Plasticity and Repair’, and by the EU DIADEM program on Diagnosis of Dementia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Psychiatry Research, University of Zürich, Switzerland

    M A Wollmer, J R Streffer, R M Nitsch, C Hock & A Papassotiropoulos

  2. Third Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

    M Tsolaki

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Neuroimmunology Unit, IRCCS H. San Raffaele, Italy

    L M E Grimaldi

  4. Department of Neuroscience, AUSL n.2, Caltanissetta, Italy

    L M E Grimaldi

  5. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Germany

    D Lütjohann & K von Bergmann

  6. Institute of Neuropathology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Germany

    D Thal

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  1. M A Wollmer
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  2. J R Streffer
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  3. M Tsolaki
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  5. D Lütjohann
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  7. K von Bergmann
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  10. A Papassotiropoulos
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Correspondence to A Papassotiropoulos.

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Wollmer, M., Streffer, J., Tsolaki, M. et al. Genetic association of acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase with cerebrospinal fluid cholesterol levels, brain amyloid load, and risk for Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 8, 635–638 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001296

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