Genetic and environmental risk factors in mestizos and indigenous populations of Peru: the role of Native component in Alzheimer's disease

ABSTRACT Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) is the main cause of dementia; its causes accumulating evidence supports a strong genetic component underpinning its etiology. are still unknown but Hispanics (genetically admixed of European, African and Native American ancestry) show higher prevalence and incidence of LOAD than in non-Hispanic Whites; ancestry may explain the different frequencies of LOAD and other diseases across ethnic groups. To this end, we aim to elucidate the contribution of Native American ancestry to LOAD. Previous studies showed that ancestry is associated with many complex diseases although not extensively studied in LOAD. We show strong preliminary results supporting this observation. This study will recruit two Indigenous Amerindian populations, the Quechuas and Aymaras, in southern Peruvian Andes in collaboration with Prof. Nilton Custodio at the Instituto Peruano de Neurociencia (IPN). These populations show unique genetic and clinical features. 1) They show predominant Native American ancestry and very low prevalence (