Lack of Association between Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type in an Elderly Arab Population in Wadi Ara, Israel

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a protease involved in blood pressure regulation, has been implicated as an important candidate gene for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated whether the ACE gene insertion–deletion (ID) polymorphism is associated with risk of developing dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) in an Arab–Israeli community, a unique genetic isolate where there is a high prevalence of DAT. In contrast to several other studies, we found no evidence of an association between this polymorphism and either DAT or age-related cognitive decline (ARCD).National Institutes of Health (U01-AG17173); Institute for the Study of Aging; National Institue of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R37-AA07112); US Department of Veterans Affairs