Abstract
Objective: A National Institute on Aging-sponsored work group on preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) articulated the need to characterize cognitive differences between normal aging and preclinical AD. Methods: Seventy-one apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 homozygotes, 194 ε3/ε4 heterozygotes, and 356 ε4 noncarriers age 21 to 87 years who were cognitively healthy underwent neuropsychological testing every 2 years. Longitudinal trajectories of test scores were compared between APOE subgroups. Results: There was a significant effect of age on all cognitive domains in both APOE ε4 carriers and noncarriers. A significant effect of APOE ε4 gene dose was confined to the memory domain and the Dementia Rating Scale. Cross-sectional comparisons did not discriminate the groups. Conclusions: Although cognitive aging patterns are similar in APOE ε4 carriers and noncarriers, preclinical AD is characterized by a significant ε4 gene dose effect that impacts memory and is detectable longitudinally. Preclinical neuropsychological testing strategies should emphasize memory-sensitive measures and longitudinal design.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 84-92 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Alzheimer's and Dementia |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- Age-related memory loss
- Apolipoprotein E
- Cognitive aging
- Longitudinal testing
- Mild cognitive impairment
- Preclinical Alzheimer's disease
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Health Policy
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Epidemiology