MRI Cerebral White Matter Lesions and Paraoxonase PON1 Polymorphisms

White matter lesions (WMLs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of older persons are thought to be caused by cerebral small-vessel disease. As they progress, these brain abnormalities frequently result in cognitive decline and gait disturbances, and their predictors are incompletely understood. Genetic risk factors have been implicated but remain undetermined so far. We examined whether 2 common polymorphisms of the paraoxonase (PON1) gene leading to a methionine (M allele)-leucine (L allele) interchange at position 54 and an arginine (B allele)-glutamine (A allele) interchange at position 191 are associated with the presence and progression of WMLs. We studied 264 community-dwelling subjects without neuropsychiatric disease (ages 44 to 75 years). All underwent vascular risk factor assessment, brain MRI, and PON1 genotyping. MRI scanning was repeated after 3 years. The extent and number of WMLs were recorded by 3 independent readers. Progression of WMLs was assessed by direct scan comparison. The final rating relied on the majority judgment of the 3 readers. The LL, LM, and MM genotypes were noted in 111 (42.0%), 118 (44.7%), and 35 (13.3%) subjects, respectively; the AA, AB, and BB genotypes occurred in 146 (55.3%), 98 (37.1%), and 20 (7.8%) individuals, respectively. Carriers of the LL genotype showed a nonsignificant trend toward more extensive WMLs and more frequently demonstrated lesion progression over the 3-year observation period (P=0.03). The polymorphism at position 191 had no effect. Logistic regression analysis yielded age (odds ratio, 1.08/y), diastolic blood pressure (odds ratio, 1.05/mm Hg), and LL paraoxonase genotype (odds ratio, 2. 65) to be significant predictors of WML progression. These data suggest that the LL PON1 genotype at position 54 influences the extent and progression of WMLs in elderly subjects.