So do you think that it may be the case that if dad has AD one is generally less likely to get it than if mom has it?
The literature overwhelmingly supports this view. Those with affected mothers are considered to be at higher risk.
Great. I'm really racking up the risk factors.
These sort of data don't necessarily mean it is maternal inheritance of mitochondrial genes. That would be one possible explanation....but it could be other things too.
Patterns of inherited risk for AD also suggest a role for the maternally inherited mitochondria. Individuals with a maternal family history of AD have a higher risk of AD compared to individuals with a paternal family history of AD (three to nine times higher) [26, 27], or no family history, score lower on cognitive tests [28], have a lower age of onset [26, 29], and have more pronounced brain abnormalities consistent with AD (cerebral metabolic [30], higher Aβ burden [31], reduction in gray matter volume [32, 33], and increased global PiB uptake PiB-PET [34]). It has also been demonstrated that some of these brain abnormalities are associated with mitochondrial haplotypes [35]. Maternal-specific changes in risk and related AD phenotypes could be driven by X-linked AD risk,
Would the same then apply if your dad's mother had AD?
Your dad (not you!) would be affected by his mother's mitochondria.
a logic short circuit. What I don't get Julie, is that if this is true (3 to 9 times higher), then it is more deterministic of AD than ApoE (~30% higher) genotype... This has got to be a different path than ApoE4. I could see the mitochondrial playing a role in nutrient deprived AD. ApoE4 seems more involved in AB clearing. Combining could certainly raise the odds.
So let me get this straight - I'm at high risk since I'm ApoE 4/4, and I'm Diabetic. My dad just died of AD at 85, but I'm actually at lower risk since my mom was sharp as a tack when she died at 80 of cancer? But wait, my mom's mom who should have the same mitochondrial DNA died at 101, but she didn't know anyone for her last 10 years... I'm so confused