The impact of age and Alzheimer’s disease risk factors on memory performance over time

Abstract

Aim: To identify early neurocognitive markers in individuals with a risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease by virtue of a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or APOE-4 carrier status. Materials & methods: A longitudinal design was implemented to examine verbal memory performance (i.e., list learning and story memory) in 21 healthy, nonimpaired individuals. Results: A statistically significant age by risk-factor interaction effect was observed for both total recall and long-term storage of the Buschke Selective Reminding Test. Participants with a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease exhibited a significant decline in performance with increasing age in contrast to participants without a risk factor. Conclusion: These findings extend the understanding of how the combination of multiple risk factors may contribute to early memory decline in healthy, nonimpaired individuals and can help inform early intervention efforts.