Key result
The APOE epsilon4 allele was associated with greater cognitive decline over 4.0 years, affecting executive function and verbal memory in men and Trail Making test performance in women.
Why the study?
Does the presence of the APOE epsilon4 allele affect the change in cognitive functioning in community-dwelling older adults?
Cohort (n=326)
Does the presence of the APOE epsilon4 allele affect the change in cognitive functioning in community-dwelling older adults?
The APOE epsilon4 allele is associated with cognitive decline, but its effects manifest differently in older adult men compared to women.
APOE ε4 may flag higher cognitive decline risk in older adults; extends evidence on sex-specific domains but remains hypothesis-generating.
The relationship between apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 and change in cognition was examined in older men (n = 247; age = 75.0 +/- 3.5 years) and women (n = 79; age = 70.8 +/- 4.9 years) free of history of stroke. Participants were examined again 4.0 +/- 0.5 years later. Exclusion criteria were (1) initial scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination of 23 or less or (2) the presence of the APOE 2/4 genotype. Men with epsilon4 showed greater decline in some measures of executive function and verbal memory compared to those without epsilon4; women with epsilon4 showed greater decline in Trail Making test performance relative to women without the allele. A significant gender x APOE epsilon4 interaction was seen for change in performance on short delay cued recall. These results suggest that APOE epsilon4 is associated with cognitive decline differently in older adult men and women.
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Swan et al. (2005) conducted a cohort in Cognitive decline (n=326). APOE epsilon4 vs. Without APOE epsilon4 was evaluated on Change in cognitive functioning. The APOE epsilon4 allele was associated with greater cognitive decline over 4.0 years, affecting executive function and verbal memory in men and Trail Making test performance in women.
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