Background
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) identified risk variants. We assessed the association of nine variants with memory and progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or LOAD (MCI/LOAD).
Methods
Older Caucasians, cognitively normal at baseline and longitudinally evaluated at Mayo Clinic Rochester and Jacksonville, were assessed for associations of genetic variants with memory decline (n=2,262) using linear mixed models and for incident MCI/LOAD (n=2,674) with Cox proportional hazards models. Each variant was tested both individually and collectively using a single weighted risk score.
Results
APOE-ε4 was significantly associated with worse memory at baseline (β=-0.88, p=2.78E-03) and increased rate of 5-year decline (β=-1.43, p=3.71E-06) with highly significant overall effect on memory (p=3.88E-09). CLU-locus risk allele rs11136000-G was associated with worse memory at baseline (β=-0.51, p=0.012), but not with increased rate of decline. CLU allele was also associated with incident MCI/LOAD (hazard ratio=HR=1.14, p=0.049) in sensitivity analysis. MS4A6A-locus risk allele rs610932-C was associated with increased incident MCI/LOAD in primary analysis (HR=1.17, p=0.016) and had suggestive association with lower baseline memory (β=-0.35, p=0.08). PICALM-locus risk allele rs3851179-G had nominally significant HR in both primary and sensitivity analysis, but with a protective estimate. LOAD risk alleles ABCA7-rs3764650-C and EPHA1-rs11767557-A associated with increased rates of memory decline in the subset of subjects with a final diagnosis of MCI/LOAD. Risk scores excluding APOE were not significant, whereas APOE-inclusive risk scores associated with worse memory and incident MCI/LOAD.
Conclusions
The collective influence of the nine top LOAD GWAS variants on memory decline and progression to MCI/LOAD appears limited. Given the significant associations observed with APOE-ε4, discovery of the biologically functional variants at these loci may uncover stronger effects on memory and incident disease.