ApoE genotype and efficacy of neurotrophic and cholinergic therapy in Alzheimer's disease

Correlation association between an ApoE4 genotype in patients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease and efficacy of neurotrophic (cerebrolysin) and cholinergic (exelon) therapy was studied in the groups of patients formed using case-control method. A 4-month treatment has shown that both types of therapy had a significant clinical effect, however clinical effect proved to be more higher and stable in patients treated with cerebrolysin. A number of responders in the cerebrolysin group was 1,7 -fold higher comparing to that in the exelon group. Patients with the ApoE4(+) genotype did not differ in response to either drug but in those with genotype ApoE4(-) the number of responders was 3-fold higher in the group treated with cerebrolysin compared to the group given exelon. A follow-up estimation of cognitive impairment in ApoE4(-) patients revealed that long-term clinical effect of cerebrolysin treatment was 6,5 times higher than that of exelon.