Apo E influences declarative and procedural learning in age-associated memory impairment

Abstract

Age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) is a clinical entity which was originally described to define memory problems linked to normal aging. Apolipoprotein E and ACE genes have both been associated with cognitive impairment in aging and dementia. The purpose of this study was to investigate memory and executive functions in AAMI according to the genetic background. We found that subjects carrying the Apo E epsilon4 allele exhibit lower memory performance on tests of both declarative and procedural memory. We did not find differences on frontal lobe tests. These findings give further support to the hypothesis concerning a genetic susceptibility for cognitive impairment in aging.

Cognitive Deficits and Polymorphism of Apolipoprotein E in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…On the basis of the results of Bartres-Faz et al [4] and Geroldi et al [8] and our unpublished data it can be hypothesized that in a population of AD patients, symptoms of learning and memory impairment will be similar in the subgroups of AD patients with the different ApoE genotypes, while other cognitive processes may differ in those subgroups. Testing of that hypothesis requires limiting the group of AD patients to those patients with rather early stages of AD, as in the late stages of AD, full cognitive deterioration takes place.…”

“…Bartres-Faz et al [4] have suggested that the knowledge of an inherited genotype is not sufficient when one is looking for prognostic factors in AD. A neuropsychological evaluation of cognitive activities -processes of new information learning in particular -is also necessary.…”

Tooth Loss, Apolipoprotein E, and Decline in Delayed Word Recall

“…Individuals with the apolipoprotein E ε4 genotype have demonstrated memory deficits (Bondi et al ., 1995; Bartres-Faz et al ., 1999; Caselli et al ., 1999; Dik et al ., 2000). Similarly, the APOE ε4 allele has been associated with lower scores on the delayed recall examination (O’Hara et al ., 1998).…”

Apolipoprotein E Gender Effects on Cognitive Performance in Age-Associated Memory Impairment

“…10 Moreover, our findings suggest a gender interaction with APOE ge- notype in AAMI cognition, with APOE E4 allele associated with poorer memory performance in women. The possibility of a gender interaction is supported by two observations: 1) no APOE effects on cognitive performance were found for men considered separately, and 2) although in the general sample the long-term visual memory scores of the APOE E4 group did not differ from those of the APOE E2 group (despite both being lower than those of APOE E3/E3 subjects), when only women were considered the E4 subjects had lower scores compared with both the APOE E2 and the E3/E3 subjects.…”

“…9 In a sample of 58 NIMH-AAMI subjects, we recently showed that the APOE status influenced the degree of memory impairment, those presenting the APOE E4 allele exhibiting worse measures of declarative and procedural memory tests. 10 Despite the abovedescribed findings in the general population, no study has addressed a putative gender effect of APOE polymorphism on AAMI cognitive performance. The purpose of this study was to relate APOE genotypes to cognitive performance in a larger sample of AAMI subjects and to determine if the genetic variable differentially modulates cognitive status within each gender.…”