Based on the unexpected identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms
in the LIPA gene as novel genetic risk factors that link cholesterol
metabolism to Alzheimer's disease, the present invention provides a
method of diagnosing or prognosticating Alzheimer's disease, or
determining the propensity or predisposition of a subject to develop
Alzheimer's disease. The method comprises detecting the presence or
absence of a variation in the LIPA gene which encodes the enzyme acid
cholesteryl ester hydrolase. Furthermore, the invention provides methods
of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease by using the CH25H gene and/or the LIPA
gene and their corresponding gene products.
