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APOE ‐ε4 associates with hippocampal volume, learning, and memory across the spectrum of Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies
Author(s) -
Saeed Usman,
Mirza Saira S.,
MacIntosh Bradley J.,
Herrmann Nathan,
Keith Julia,
Ramirez Joel,
Nestor Sean M.,
Yu Qinggang,
Knight Jo,
Swardfager Walter,
Potkin Steven G.,
Rogaeva Ekaterina,
St. GeorgeHyslop Peter,
Black Sandra E.,
Masellis Mario
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.04.005
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , dementia with lewy bodies , dementia , hippocampal formation , episodic memory , neuropsychology , alzheimer's disease , psychology , atrophy , medicine , neuroscience , pathology , cognition , disease
Although the apolipoprotein E ε4‐allele ( APOE ‐ε4) is a susceptibility factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), its relationship with imaging and cognitive measures across the AD/DLB spectrum remains unexplored. Methods We studied 298 patients (AD = 250, DLB = 48; 38 autopsy‐confirmed; NCT01800214 ) using neuropsychological testing, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, and APOE genotyping to investigate the association of APOE ‐ε4 with hippocampal volume and learning/memory phenotypes, irrespective of diagnosis. Results Across the AD/DLB spectrum: (1) hippocampal volumes were smaller with increasing APOE ‐ε4 dosage (no genotype × diagnosis interaction observed), (2) learning performance as assessed by total recall scores was associated with hippocampal volumes only among APOE ‐ε4 carriers, and (3) APOE ‐ε4 carriers performed worse on long‐delay free word recall. Discussion These findings provide evidence that APOE ‐ε4 is linked to hippocampal atrophy and learning/memory phenotypes across the AD/DLB spectrum, which could be useful as biomarkers of disease progression in therapeutic trials of mixed disease.