title: APOE ε4 associated with preserved executive function performance and maintenance of temporal and cingulate brain volumes in younger adults.
abstract: The APOE ε4 allele is associated with cognitive deficits and brain atrophy in older adults, but studies in younger adults are mixed. We examined APOE genotype effects on cognition and brain structure in younger adults and whether genotype effects differed by age and with presence of depression. 157 adults (32 % ε4 carriers, 46 % depressed) between 20 and 50 years of age completed neuropsychological testing, 131 of which also completed 3 T cranial MRI. We did not observe a direct effect of APOE genotype on cognitive performance or structural MRI measures. A significant genotype by age interaction was observed for executive function, where age had less of an effect on executive function in ε4 carriers. Similar interactions were observed for the entorhinal cortex, rostral and caudal anterior cingulate cortex and parahippocampal gyrus, where the effect of age on regional volumes was reduced in ε4 carriers. There were no significant interactions between APOE genotype and depression diagnosis. The ε4 allele benefits younger adults by allowing them to maintain executive function performance and volumes of cingulate and temporal cortex regions with aging, at least through age fifty years.
authors: The Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA. warren.d.taylor@vanderbilt.edu.|The Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA. warren.d.taylor@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Warren D
authors: WD
authors: Taylor
authors: The Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
authors: Brian
authors: B
authors: Boyd
authors: The Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
authors: Rachel
authors: R
authors: Turner
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
authors: Douglas R
authors: DR
authors: McQuoid
authors: Center for Human Disease Modeling and Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
authors: Allison
authors: A
authors: Ashley-Koch
authors: Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
authors: James R
authors: JR
authors: MacFall
authors: The Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
authors: Ayman
authors: A
authors: Saleh
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
authors: Guy G
authors: GG
authors: Potter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4 / Q000235:genetics*; D003863:Depression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4
keywords: Aging; Apoe; Cognition; Depression; MRI