Lack of association of interleukin-1beta polymorphism with Alzheimer's disease in the Jewish population

A growing body of evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with local inflammation processes, including the activation of inflammatory cytokines. We performed a case-control association study between sporadic AD patients and the exon 5 position +3953 polymorphism in the potent pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1beta (IL-1B). Recent association studies of this locus with AD revealed conflicting results, suggesting that the association - if it exists - is not universal but rather population specific. In our study no association was detected with AD: neither as a risk factor nor as a modifier gene affecting the age at onset and disease progression. These findings show no evidence for an association between the IL-1B +3953 polymorphism and AD in the Jewish population.