Disclosing Pleiotropic Effects During Genetic Risk Assessment for Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Robert Haussmann, Markus Donix
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Letters1 November 2016Disclosing Pleiotropic Effects During Genetic Risk Assessment for Alzheimer DiseaseRobert Haussmann, MD and Markus Donix, MDRobert Haussmann, MDFrom University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität, Dresden, Germany. and Markus Donix, MDFrom University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität, Dresden, Germany.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L16-0400 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Nobel laureate Dr. James Watson, recognized for his contribution to the discovery of DNA structure, was among the first persons to undergo whole-genome sequencing (1). He requested to receive all data generated from this research project except the disclosure of his apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype (1).Christensen and colleagues (2) show that disclosing pleiotropic effects of the APOE genotype does not increase anxiety or depression among cognitively healthy adults. In fact, the disclosure of risk for Alzheimer disease was associated with improved healthy behaviors when combined with information about the influence of APOE on coronary artery disease. ...References1. Wheeler DA, Srinivasan M, Egholm M, Shen Y, Chen L, McGuire A, et al. The complete genome of an individual by massively parallel DNA sequencing. Nature. 2008;452:872-6. [PMID: 18421352] doi:10.1038/nature06884 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Christensen KD, Roberts JS, Whitehouse PJ, Royal CD, Obisesan TO, Cupples LA, et al; REVEAL Study Group. Disclosing pleiotropic effects during genetic risk assessment for Alzheimer disease: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:155-63. [PMID: 26810768]. doi:10.7326/M15-0187 LinkGoogle Scholar3. Green RC, Roberts JS, Cupples LA, Relkin NR, Whitehouse PJ, Brown T, et al; REVEAL Study Group. Disclosure of APOE genotype for risk of Alzheimer's disease. N Engl J Med. 2009;361:245-54. [PMID: 19605829] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0809578 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Tuminello ER, Han SD. The apolipoprotein E antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis: review and recommendations. Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;2011:726197. [PMID: 21423560] doi:10.4061/2011/726197 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Lineweaver TT, Bondi MW, Galasko D, Salmon DP. Effect of knowledge of APOE genotype on subjective and objective memory performance in healthy older adults. Am J Psychiatry. 2014;171:201-8. [PMID: 24170170] doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12121590 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität, Dresden, Germany.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L16-0400. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDisclosing Pleiotropic Effects During Genetic Risk Assessment for Alzheimer Disease Kurt D. Christensen , J. Scott Roberts , Peter J. Whitehouse , Charmaine D.M. Royal , Thomas O. Obisesan , L. Adrienne Cupples , Jacqueline A. Vernarelli , Deepak L. Bhatt , Erin Linnenbringer , Melissa B. Butson , Grace-Ann Fasaye , Wendy R. Uhlmann , Susan Hiraki , Na Wang , Robert Cook-Deegan , Robert C. Green , and Metrics Cited byFamily History of Alzheimer’s Disease and Subjective Memory Performance 1 November 2016Volume 165, Issue 9Page: 673KeywordsAllelesAlzheimer diseaseAnxietyBehaviorClinical trialsDisclosureGenetic diseasesHealth information technologyRisk assessmentsStable coronary artery disease ePublished: 1 November 2016 Issue Published: 1 November 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...