Included in this capture was the APOE gene, which is associated with genetic predisposition to AD (discussed in Section 4), with a further 10 overlapping genes functioning within the mitochondrial ‘bioenergetic’ pathway, supporting estrogen’s wider role in preventing vascular dysfunction, which is sometimes theorized to precede even disruptions to amyloid in the pathological cascade of AD. This evidence concerns the gene APOE and Alzheimer disease.