Somatic Loss of the Y Chromosome and Alzheimer's Disease Risk

Mosaic loss of the Y chromosome (LOY) is a somatic, age-related event that has been previously associated with a variety of diseases of aging. A prior study of European cohorts demonstrated an association between LOY and Alzheimers Disease and more recent molecular studies have shown that LOY can also occur within microglia, suggesting a potential functional role in AD pathogenesis. In this study, we further validate the association between LOY and AD via prospective analyses of 1,447 males, and perform Mendelian Randomization analysis on 10,013 males across 26 US cohorts. Significant results from these analyses provide further evidence for a role of LOY in the development of Alzheimers Disease.