Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele and hippocampal volume in twins with normal cognition.
We examined the relation of APOE-epsilon 4, hippocampal volume, and cognitive performance in ten pairs of cognitively normal twins who had a mean age of 62.5 years (SD = 7.8). There were no significant differences in neuropsychological measures of the groups categorized by the presence of an epsilon 4 allele. However, the mean normalized right and left hippocampal volumes were smaller in the epsilon 4 groups compared to the group without epsilon 4. Combined with prior reports, these findings suggest that epsilon 4 is associated with differences in brain morphology that may be evident when no symptoms of dementia are present.
Plassman
B L
BL
Department of Psychiatry, Joseph and Kathleen Bryan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27701, USA.
Welsh-Bohmer
K A
KA
Bigler
E D
ED
Johnson
S C
SC
Anderson
C V
CV
Helms
M J
MJ
Saunders
A M
AM
Breitner
J C
JC
D000483:Alleles; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D014427:Twins
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E