Last reviewed: June 1, 2026

2013New England Journal of Medicine

TREM2 variants associated with Alzheimer's disease

Jonsson T, Stefansson H, Steinberg S, Jonsdottir I, Jonsson PV, Gudjonsson SA, et al.

Abstract summary

Identified the R47H variant in TREM2 as conferring approximately 3-fold increased risk for Alzheimer's disease, similar in magnitude to the APOE ε4 effect in some populations. This seminal paper established microglial TREM2 as a major AD risk gene.

Evidence labels

human genetics

Targets

Diseases

  • Alzheimer's disease

Species

human

Methods

genome sequencing, case-control study, GWAS follow-up

Therapeutic relevance

Established TREM2 as a major AD drug target, prompting multiple clinical programs.

Last reviewed: June 1, 2026