Key result
The APOE-epsilon 4 allele was associated with smaller mean normalized right and left hippocampal volumes in cognitively normal twins compared to those without the allele.
Why the study?
Is the APOE-epsilon 4 allele associated with differences in hippocampal volume and cognitive performance in cognitively normal twins?
Observational (n=20)
Is the APOE-epsilon 4 allele associated with differences in hippocampal volume and cognitive performance in cognitively normal twins?
The APOE-epsilon 4 allele is associated with smaller hippocampal volumes in cognitively normal twins, suggesting brain morphology differences may precede dementia symptoms.
No practice change indicated; leaves open whether volume differences predict future decline.
We examined the relation of APOE-epsilon 4, hippocampal volume, and cognitive performance in ten pairs of cognitively normal twins who had a mean age of 62.5 years (SD = 7.8). There were no significant differences in neuropsychological measures of the groups categorized by the presence of an epsilon 4 allele. However, the mean normalized right and left hippocampal volumes were smaller in the epsilon 4 groups compared to the group without epsilon 4. Combined with prior reports, these findings suggest that epsilon 4 is associated with differences in brain morphology that may be evident when no symptoms of dementia are present.
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Plassman et al. (1997) conducted an observational in Normal cognition (n=20). APOE-epsilon 4 allele vs. Without APOE-epsilon 4 allele was evaluated on Hippocampal volume and cognitive performance. The APOE-epsilon 4 allele was associated with smaller mean normalized right and left hippocampal volumes in cognitively normal twins compared to those without the allele.
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