The influence of APOE status on cognitive decline

Abstract

AbstractINTRODUCTIONApolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, few studies have examined the relationship between SCD and APOE, especially using longitudinal data. The current study examined whether APOE is associated with the rate of cognitive change in SCD.METHODSLinear mixed effects models examined the relationship between APOE status and cognitive change in older adults with SCD (SCD), normal controls (NC), and people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).RESULTSThe presence of at least one ε2 allele in SCD and MCI results in cognitive change rates similar to a NC with the ε3ε3 genotype. Older SCD-ε4 individuals exhibited increased cognitive decline compared to all groups, including NC-ε4 and MCI-ε4.DISCUSSIONPeople with SCD with at least one ε4 allele will experience increased cognitive decline compared to cognitively healthy older adults and people with MCI. These findings have important implications for treatments and interventions.