Feb 25, 2021
feature Dr. Charles Raison, a professor of psychiatry, and Dr. Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology.
The single most important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is a variant of apolipoprotein E, or APOE for short, a lipoprotein produced in the liver and brain. Roughly a quarter of all people living in the US – about 75 million people – carry a genetic variant of APOE called APOE4. Having APOE4 is associated with higher circulating levels of LDL cholesterol and an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. Having APOE4 doesn't mean that Alzheimer's disease is inevitable.