title: Reported alcohol consumption and cognitive decline: The northern Manhattan study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moderate alcohol intake may slow cognitive decline, and both vascular and neurodegenerative mechanisms have been implicated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined reported alcohol intake and cognitive decline in a community-based cohort of Hispanic, black and white individuals (n = 1,428). The role of the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 (APOE4) allele as a modifier was also studied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reported drinking was as follows: 300 participants (21%) were 'never' drinkers, 622 (44%) 'past' drinkers, 145 (10%) reported taking less than 1 drink weekly, 330 (23%) 1 drink weekly up to 2 daily and 31 (2%) more than 2 drinks daily. A positive relationship was seen between reported alcohol intake and cognition. Drinking less than 1 drink a week (p = 0.09), between 1 drink weekly up to 2 drinks daily (p = 0.001) and more than 2 drinks daily (p = 0.003) were associated with less cognitive decline on the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status compared to never drinkers. This dose-response relationship was not modified by the presence of an APOE4 allele in a subsample.
authors.affiliation: Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. cbw7@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Clinton B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Mitchell S V
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Elkind
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Myunghee C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Ralph L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sacco
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4 / Q000235:genetics; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D004247:DNA