Tract-specific white matter microstructure alterations among young adult APOE ε4 carriers: A replication and extension study

Abstract

AbstractThe parahippocampal cingulum bundle (PHCB) connects regions known to be vulnerable to early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, such as posteromedial cortex and medial temporal lobe. While AD-related pathology has been robustly associated with alterations in PHCB microstructure, specifically lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean diffusivity (MD), emerging evidence indicates that the reverse pattern is evident in younger adults at-risk of AD. In one such study, Hodgetts et al. (2019) reported that healthy young adult carriers of the apolipoprotein-E (APOE) ε4 allele – the strongest common genetic risk factor for AD – showed higher FA and lower MD in the PHCB but not the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). These results are consistent with proposals claiming that heightened neural activity and connectivity have a significant role in posteromedial cortex vulnerability to amyloid-β and tau spread beyond the medial temporal lobe. Given the implications for understanding AD risk, here we sought to replicate Hodgetts et al.’s finding in a larger sample (N = 128; 40 APOE ε4 carriers, 88 APOE ε4 non-carriers) of young adults (age range: 19-33). Extending this work further, we also conducted exploratory analyses using a more advanced measure of microstructure: hindrance modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA). These analyses included an investigation of hemispheric asymmetry in PHCB and ILF HMOA. Contrary to the original study, we observed no difference in PHCB microstructure between APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers. Bayes factors (BFs) further revealed moderate-to-strong evidence in support of these null findings. APOE ε4-related differences in ILF HMOA asymmetry were evident, however, with carriers demonstrating lower leftward asymmetry. Our findings indicate that young adult APOE ε4 carriers do not show alterations in PHCB microstructure, as observed by Hodgetts et al., but may show altered asymmetry in ILF microstructure.