Syd wrote:Hi there.... I am only 58 and have MCI that is getting worse, and it's frightening. My 23&me results show I'm negative for being predisposed to late onset Alzheimer's, but I've had my MCI for years, so my problems have shown up earlier....My results:
rs429358 is T/T
rs7412 is C/C
So, it looks like the r27412 is e4 and the other is e2, is that right??? Does that equal being e3?? Or is the e4 potentially an issue for me? (I understand epigenetics and that there's no "you have this snp so for sure you'll get x,y, z." But, I'm just trying to understand my predispositions, given my worsening cognitive symptoms.)
Are there snps that indicate a predisposition for EARLY dementia?
Thank you so much. I hope everyone is taking good care.
A warm welcome, Syd!
Thank you so much for joining, and for your well wishes for all of us. Don't ever worry about asking questions; it's how we humans are primed to learn! And "reading" Snps is almost never easy, which is why I keep some handy references bookmarked. Here's one I find useful, from SNPedia, which is now owned by Promethease:
https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/APOE.
I've taken the liberty of pulling the third row from the bottom of the chart on the table in that link and putting it in a format that our clunky software will show:
ApoE 3/3 = rs429358 T/T and rs7412 C/C : The most common variant
So I think that's why 23&me reports that you are not at increased risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease: because you don't have any copies of ApoE 4, the most well-studied genetic risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
The term "MCI" or Mild Cognitive Impairment can be used by practitioners who give only a quick screening test such as the MOCA (Montreal Test of Cognitive Assessment) or MMSE (Mini-Mental Status Exam). It doesn't tell us whether this is MCI with Alzheimer's biomarkers of amyloid beta and tau, and Alzheimer's-type MRI and common Alzheimer's impairments such as language, memory for new learning and spatial learning.
MCI can be a stable condition for several years even in people with Alzheimer's brain biomarkers, but it can also be seen in people with vascular (blood vessel) disease, or other health conditions, some of which may respond well to treatment. In addition, there are currently clinical trials of some promising drugs and non-drug treatments for MCI and more coming soon.
If you have not had a full work-up, including MRI and/or PET scan and several different types of neuro-psychological tests recently, you might want to consider a good work-up at a hospital center that specializes in diagnostic study of people with MCI and early Alzheimer's disease. As someone who participated in a clinical trial for people with a high genetic risk of Alzheimers' (I have two copies of ApoE 4/4), I know that my study site's Memory Care Unit also tested people who had concerns like yours. If you have health insurance it would almost certainly cover the cost of the evaluation; if not, these centers often participate in studies of people with MCI that include such work-ups and share lots of the results with participants.
To your question on SNPS that can show a risk for Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EAOD): They do exist, but since your 23& me report didn't show those, it seems less likely you have them. Most people with those genes have a known family history of relatives who developed Alzheimer's in their 40's or 50's.
Researchers are now recognizing a category in between "Early-Onset" and "Late-Onset (over 65) that is sometimes called "Young-Onset Alzheimer's disease". It seems to happen in some people in their 50's, with symptoms that progress much more slowly than those with Early Onset, or for people first diagnosed with the Late-Onset type in their 70's, for example. Often there is no easy explanation for why people with this diagnosis have it happen at a "young" age. I know three wonderful people in that situation, and all have found it helpful to get involved with local support groups for Young-Onset through their local Alzheimer's Association, and all also got involved with clinical trials of drugs that may be approved for this population in the next year or two.
If you are comfortable sharing what the nearest city is to your location, I would be glad to post the name and location of the nearest Alzheimer's Research center that may be able to offer you a full work-up. If you'd prefer, you can also Private Message me. Here's a link to how that works on the forum:
Using Private Messages
It is, of course, always a good idea to also use the strategies recommended by Jenny BC above from our Primer. Exercise, a healthy diet, good sleep and balanced nutrients are important. Best to someone to is showing resilience every day!