APOE genotype and cognitive functioning in a large age-stratified population sample

Anthony F. Jorm*, Karen A. Mather, Peter Butterworth, Kaarin J. Anstey, Helen Christensen, Simon Easteal

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    129 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    There is evidence that the cognitive effects of Alzheimer's disease can be seen decades before disease diagnosis. If this is the case, then the apolipoprotein E (APOE) *E4 allele might be expected to have effects on cognitive functioning earlier in the life span. To assess such effects, the authors examined data on the *E4 allele and cognitive functioning from a population sample of 6,560 Caucasians covering the age groups of 20-24, 40-44, and 60-64 years. Participants were assessed on tests of episodic memory, working memory, mental speed, reaction time, and reading vocabulary. Although performance on all tests except reading vocabulary declined across age groups, there was no effect of the APOE *E4 allele at any age. These results indicate that APOE *E4 does not have preclinical effects early in the life span on these cognitive functions. Cognitive aging effects between the ages of 20 and 64 years must not be due to preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1-8
    Number of pages8
    JournalNeuropsychology
    Volume21
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2007

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