title: Aging-related magnification of genetic effects on cognitive and brain integrity.
abstract: Heritability studies document substantial genetic influences on cognitive performance and decline in old age. Increasing evidence shows that effects of genetic variations on cognition, brain structure, and brain function become stronger as people age. Disproportionate impairments are typically observed for older individuals carrying disadvantageous genotypes of different candidate genes. These data support the resource-modulation hypothesis, which states that genetic effects are magnified in persons with constrained neural resources, such as older adults. However, given that findings are not unequivocal, we discuss the need to address several factors that may resolve inconsistencies in the extant literature (gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, study populations, gene-environment correlations, and epigenetic mechanisms).
authors.affiliation: Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: goran.papenberg@ki.se.
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papenberg
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ulman
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lindenberger
authors.affiliation: Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bäckman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C579624:apolipoprotein E (133-149)
keywords: aging; brain function; brain structure; cognition; genetics