Open AccessSelective familiarity deficits in otherwise cognitively intact aging individuals with genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Schoemaker Dorothee,
Poirier Judes,
Escobar Sophia,
Gauthier Serge,
Pruessner Jens
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: diagnosis, assessment and disease monitoring
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.497
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2352-8729
DOI - 10.1016/j.dadm.2015.11.007
Subject(s) - disease , psychology , cognitive aging , alzheimer's disease , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , cognition , pathology
Familiarity has been associated with integrity of the rhinal cortex. Thus, impairment in familiarity is expected in very early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 allele is a major risk factor for AD. Here, we investigated the effect of the APOE ε4 status on familiarity in cognitively normal aging individuals. Methods Eighty‐one individuals aged between 55 and 80 years, 21 carriers and 60 noncarriers, were used in these analyses. A cognitive evaluation was performed on all participants to document the absence of objective cognitive deficits. The effect of APOE ε4 status on familiarity was tested using independent sample t test and an analysis of covariance controlling for age, gender, and education. Results The groups did not differ in term of age, education, and male/female ratio. APOE ε4 carriers showed a significant reduction in familiarity. No other cognitive deficit was observed in the group of ε4 carriers, relative to noncarriers. Discussion APOE ε4 is associated with a reduction in familiarity in the absence of other cognitive deficits. These results suggest that performance in familiarity could represent an early cognitive marker for individuals at risk of AD.