Key result
APOE ε4 allele links to worse memory scores on the MMSE.
Why the study?
The association between APOE ε4 allele and specific cognitive dimensions of the MMSE in community-dwelling older adults was not previously investigated accounting for confounders.
Is the APOE ε4 allele associated with worse performance in specific dimensions of the mini-mental state examination in community-dwelling older adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=1,408)
No
Is the APOE ε4 allele associated with worse performance in specific dimensions of the mini-mental state examination in community-dwelling older adults?
Mean Difference: -0.14 (95% CI -0.27–-0.04)
p-value: p=0.016
The APOE ε4 allele is significantly associated with worse memory performance on the MMSE in community-dwelling older adults, reinforcing its detectable effect on cognitive screening tests.
APOE ε4 status may aid MMSE memory interpretation in older adults; leaves open longitudinal prediction and clinical utility.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) dimension in an elderly population, using baseline data from the Bambui (Brazil) Cohort Study of Aging. DESIGN: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study took place at Bambui city, Minas Gerais State, Southeast Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1408 (87.7%) cohort participants had complete information on the MMSE and health measures. MEASUREMENTS: The association between each of five dimensions (concentration, language/praxis, orientation, attention, and memory) underlying the MMSE and APOE ε4 allele was assessed using multivariate linear regression models. Potential confounding variables included sociodemographic factors and selected biomarkers. RESULTS: The main finding is a strong negative association between the presence of APOE ε4 allele and memory dimension in the MMSE (fully adjusted β coefficient = -0.14; 95% confidence interval: -0.27 to -0.04; p = 0.016). No other cognitive dimensions showed significant associations with the APOE ε4 allele. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to investigate the association between dimensions of the MMSE, obtained from principal component analysis and APOE ε4 carrier status in community-dwelling older adults taking into account a range of potential confounding factors. We found a strong negative association between the presence of APOE ε4 allele and scores on memory dimension of the MMSE, but no effect on other dimensions. Our results reinforce previous data on the literature that APOE ε4 allele has a significant effect on cognitive performance that can be detected even in screening tests, such as the MMSE.
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Quintino-Santos et al. (2014) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitive performance in aging (n=1,408). APOE ε4 allele vs. Absence of APOE ε4 allele was evaluated on Memory dimension in the MMSE (β coefficient -0.14, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.04, p=0.016). The presence of the APOE ε4 allele was significantly associated with worse scores on the memory dimension of the MMSE (fully adjusted β coefficient -0.14; 95% CI -0.27 to -0.04; p=0.016).
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