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Daly J, De Luca F, Berens SC, Field AP, Rusted JM, Bird CM. The effect of apolipoprotein E genotype on spatial processing in humans: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Cortex 2024; 177:268-284. [PMID: 38878339 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
The ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE4) gene is an established risk factor for Alzheimer's disease but its impact on cognition in healthy adults across the lifespan is unclear. One cognitive domain that is affected early in the course of Alzheimer's disease is spatial cognition, yet the evidence for APOE-related changes in spatial cognition is mixed. In this meta-analysis we assessed the impact of carrying the APOE4 allele on five subdomains of spatial cognition across the lifespan. We included studies of healthy human participants where an APOE4-carrier group (heterozygous or homozygous) could be compared to a homozygous group of APOE3-carriers. We identified 156 studies in total from three databases (Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science) as well as through searching cited literature and contacting authors for unpublished data. 122 studies involving 32,547 participants were included in a meta-analysis, and the remaining studies are included in a descriptive review. APOE4 carriers scored significantly lower than APOE3 carriers (θˆ = -.08 [-.14, -.02]) on tests of spatial long-term memory; this effect was very small and was not modulated by age. On other subdomains of spatial cognition (spatial construction, spatial working memory, spatial reasoning, navigation) there were no effects of genotype. Overall, our results demonstrate that the APOE4 allele exerts little influence on spatial cognitive abilities in healthy adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Daly
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
| | - Flavia De Luca
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
| | - Sam C Berens
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
| | - Andy P Field
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
| | | | - Chris M Bird
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
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Subramanian SK, Morgan RT, Rasmusson C, Shepherd KM, Li CL. Genetic polymorphisms and post-stroke upper limb motor improvement - A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Cent Nerv Syst Dis 2024; 16:11795735241266601. [PMID: 39049838 PMCID: PMC11268047 DOI: 10.1177/11795735241266601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Post-stroke upper limb (UL) motor improvement is associated with adaptive neuroplasticity and motor learning. Both intervention-related (including provision of intensive, variable, and task-specific practice) and individual-specific factors (including the presence of genetic polymorphisms) influence improvement. In individuals with stroke, most commonly, polymorphisms are found in Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), Apolipoprotein (APOE) and Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT). These involve a replacement of cystine by arginine (APOEε4) or valines by 1 or 2 methionines (BDNF:val66met, met66met; COMT:val158met; met158met). However, the implications of these polymorphisms on post-stroke UL motor improvement specifically have not yet been elucidated. Objective Examine the influence of genetic polymorphism on post-stroke UL motor improvement. Design Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Methods We conducted a systematic search of the literature published in English language. The modified Downs and Black checklist helped assess study quality. We compared change in UL motor impairment and activity scores between individuals with and without the polymorphisms. Meta-analyses helped assess change in motor impairment (Fugl Meyer Assessment) scores based upon a minimum of 2 studies/time point. Effect sizes (ES) were quantified based upon the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System as follows: small (0.08-0.18), medium (0.19 -0.40) and large (≥0.41). Results We retrieved 10 (4 good and 6 fair quality) studies. Compared to those with BDNF val66met and met66met polymorphism, meta-analyses revealed lower motor impairment (large ES) in those without the polymorphism at intervention completion (0.5, 95% CI: 0.11-0.88) and at retention (0.58, 95% CI:0.06-1.11). The presence of CoMT val158met or met158met polymorphism had similar results, with lower impairment (large ES ≥1.5) and higher activity scores (large ES ranging from 0.5-0.76) in those without the polymorphism. Presence of APOEε4 form did not influence UL motor improvement. Conclusion Polymorphisms with the presence of 1 or 2 met alleles in BDNF and COMT negatively influence UL motor improvement. Registration https://osf.io/wk9cf/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep K. Subramanian
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Physician Assistant Studies, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Center for Biomedical Neurosciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Riley T. Morgan
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Carl Rasmusson
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Kayla M. Shepherd
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Carol L. Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital, South Texas Veterans Health Administration, Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Nasri A, Sghaier I, Neji A, Gharbi A, Abida Y, Mrabet S, Gargouri A, Djebara MB, Kacem I, Gouider R. Phenotypic Spectrum of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: Clinical Study and Apolipoprotein E Effect. J Mov Disord 2024; 17:158-170. [PMID: 38290492 PMCID: PMC11082606 DOI: 10.14802/jmd.23178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder encompassing several phenotypes with various motor and cognitive deficits. We aimed to study motor and cognitive characteristics across PSP phenotypes and to assess the influence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene variants on PSP phenotypic expression. METHODS In this 20-year cross-sectional study, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients classified as PSP patients and recategorized them according to phenotype using the Movement Disorder Society criteria (2017). Phenotypes were divided into three subgroups, Richardson's syndrome (PSP-RS), PSP-cortical (PSP with predominant frontal presentation [PSP-F] + PSP with predominant speech/language disorder [PSP-SL] + PSP with predominant corticobasal syndrome [PSP-CBS]) and PSP-subcortical (PSP with predominant parkinsonism [PSP-P] + PSP with progressive gait freezing [PSP-PGF] + PSP with predominant postural instability [PSP-PI] + PSP with predominant ocular motor dysfunction [PSP-OM] + PSP with cerebellar ataxia [PSP-C] + PSP with primary lateral sclerosis [PSP-PLS]), based on clinical presentation during the first 3 years after symptom onset, which defines the early disease stage. Clinical and neuropsychological assessment data were collected. Genotyping of APOE was performed using restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction and verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS We included 112 PSP patients comprising 10 phenotypes classified into 48 PSP-RS, 34 PSP-cortical (PSP-CBS, 17.6%; PSP-F, 9.4%; PSP-SL, 8.2%) and 30 PSP-subcortical (PSP-P, 11.6%; PSP-PI, 8%; PSP-OM, 2.7%; PSP-PGF, 1.8%; PSP-C, 1.8%; PSP-PLS, 0.9%) subgroups. PSP-RS patients were older at disease onset (p = 0.009) and had more akinetic-rigid and levodopa-resistant parkinsonism (p = 0.006), while PSP-cortical patients had more tremors and asymmetric and/or levodopa-responsive parkinsonism (p = 0.025). Cognitive domains were significantly less altered in the PSP-subcortical subgroup. Overall, PSP-APOEε4 carriers developed parkinsonism earlier (p = 0.038), had earlier oculomotor dysfunction (p = 0.052) and had more altered cognitive profiles. The APOEε4 allele was also associated with a younger age of parkinsonism onset in the PSP-RS phenotype group (p = 0.026). CONCLUSION This study demonstrated the wide phenotypic spectrum of PSP among Tunisians. Disease onset and akinetic-rigid and levodopa-resistant parkinsonism were the hallmarks of the PSP-RS phenotype, while milder cognitive impairment was characteristic of the PSP-subcortical subgroup. The APOEε4 allele was associated with earlier parkinsonism and oculomotor dysfunction and seemed to play a role in defining a more altered cognitive profile in PSP patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amina Nasri
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Ikram Sghaier
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Anis Neji
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Alya Gharbi
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Youssef Abida
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Saloua Mrabet
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Amina Gargouri
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Mouna Ben Djebara
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Imen Kacem
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Riadh Gouider
- Department of Neurology, LR18SP03, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) “Neurosciences and Mental Health”, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
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Feizolahi F, Arabzadeh E, Sarshin A, Falahi F, Dehghannayeri Z, Ali Askari A, Wong A, Aghaei F, Zargani M. Effects of Exercise Training and L-Arginine Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles on Hippocampus Histopathology, β-Secretase Enzyme Function, APP, Tau, Iba1and APOE-4 mRNA in Aging Rats. Neurotox Res 2024; 42:21. [PMID: 38441819 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-024-00699-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the combined and independent effects of exercise training and L-Arginine loaded chitosan nanoparticles (LA CNPs) supplementation on hippocampal Tau, App, Iba1, and ApoE gene expression, oxidative stress, β-secretase enzyme activity, and hippocampus histopathology in aging rats. Thirty-five male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 7 in each): Young (8 weeks old), Old (20 months old), old + L-arginine supplementation (Old Sup), old + exercise (Old Exe) and old + L-arginine supplementation + exercise (Old Sup + Exe). LA CNPs were administered to the supplement groups through gavage at a dosage of 500 mg/kg/day for 6-weeks. Exercise groups were subjected to a swimming exercise program five days/week for the same duration. Upon the completion of their interventions, the animals underwent behavioral and open-field task tests and were subsequently sacrificed for hippocampus genetic and histopathological evaluation. For histopathological analysis of brain, Cresyl violet staining was used. Congo Red staining was employed to confirm amyloid plaques in the hippocampus. Expressions of Tau, App, Iba1, and ApoE genes were determined by real-time PCR. In contrast to the Old group, Old Exe and Old Sup + Exe groups spent more time in the central space in the open field task (p < 0.05) and have more live cells in the hippocampus. Old rats (Old, Old Sup and Old Exe groups) exhibited a significant Aβ peptide accumulation and increases in APP, Tau, Iba1, APOE-4 mRNA and MDA, along with decreases in SOD compared to the young group (p < 0.05). However, LA CNPs supplementation, exercise, and their combination (Old Sup, Old Exe and Old Sup + Exe) significantly reduced MDA, Aβ plaque as well as APP, Tau, Iba1, and APOE-4 mRNA compared to the Old group (p < 0.05). Consequently, the administration of LA CNPs supplements and exercise might regulate the risk factors of hippocampus cell and tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foad Feizolahi
- Clinical Care and Health Promotion Research Center, Karaj branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Exercise Physiology Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Sarshin
- Clinical Care and Health Promotion Research Center, Karaj branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Farshad Falahi
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Zahra Dehghannayeri
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Ali Ali Askari
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Alexei Wong
- Department of Health and Human Performance, Marymount University, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Fariba Aghaei
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Mehdi Zargani
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
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Liu H, Zhao X, Xue G, Chen C, Dong Q, Gao X, Yang L, Chen C. TTLL11 gene is associated with sustained attention performance and brain networks: A genome-wide association study of a healthy Chinese sample. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2023; 22:e12835. [PMID: 36511133 PMCID: PMC9994169 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Genetic studies on attention have mainly focused on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), so little systematic research has been conducted on genetic correlates of attention performance and their potential brain mechanisms among healthy individuals. The current study included a genome-wide association study (GWAS, N = 1145 healthy young adults) aimed to identify genes associated with sustained attention and an imaging genetics study (an independent sample of 483 healthy young adults) to examine any identified genes' influences on brain function. The GWAS found that TTLL11 showed genome-wide significant associations with sustained attention, with rs13298112 as the most significant SNP and the GG homozygotes showing more impulsive but also more focused responses than the A allele carriers. A retrospective examination of previously published ADHD GWAS results confirmed an un-reported, small but statistically significant effect of TTLL11 on ADHD. The imaging genetics study replicated this association and showed that the TTLL11 gene was associated with resting state activity and connectivity of the somatomoter network, and can be predicted by dorsal attention network connectivity. Specifically, the GG homozygotes showed lower brain activity, weaker brain network connectivity, and non-significant brain-attention association compared to the A allele carriers. Expression database showed that expression of this gene is enriched in the brain and that the G allele is associated with lower expression level than the A allele. These results suggest that TTLL11 may play a major role in healthy individuals' attention performance and may also contribute to the etiology of ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hejun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Gui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuping Gao
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
| | - Li Yang
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
| | - Chunhui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Lerch O, Laczó M, Vyhnálek M, Nedelská Z, Hort J, Laczó J. APOEɛ4 Allele Moderates the Association Between Basal Forebrain Nuclei Volumes and Allocentric Navigation in Older Adults Without Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 86:155-171. [PMID: 35034896 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cholinergic deficit and medial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) leading to early allocentric spatial navigation (aSN) impairment. APOEɛ4 allele (E4) is a major genetic risk factor for late-onset AD and contributes to cholinergic dysfunction. Basal forebrain (BF) nuclei, the major source of acetylcholine, project into multiple brain regions and, along with MTL and prefrontal cortex (PFC), are involved in aSN processing. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine different contributions of individual BF nuclei atrophy to aSN in E4 positive and E4 negative older adults without dementia and assess whether they operate on aSN through MTL and PFC or independently from these structures. METHODS 120 participants (60 E4 positive, 60 E4 negative) from the Czech Brain Aging Study underwent structural MRI and aSN testing in real-space arena setting. Hippocampal and BF nuclei volumes and entorhinal cortex and PFC thickness were obtained. Associations between brain regions involved in aSN were assessed using MANOVA and complex model of mutual relationships was built using structural equation modelling (SEM). RESULTS Path analysis based on SEM modeling revealed that BF Ch1-2, Ch4p, and Ch4ai nuclei volumes were indirectly associated with aSN performance through MTL (pch1 - 2 = 0.039; pch4p = 0.042) and PFC (pch4ai = 0.044). In the E4 negative group, aSN was indirectly associated with Ch1-2 nuclei volumes (p = 0.015), while in the E4 positive group, there was indirect effect of Ch4p nucleus (p = 0.035). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that in older adults without dementia, BF nuclei affect aSN processing indirectly, through MTL and PFC, and that APOE E4 moderates these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Lerch
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Martina Laczó
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Martin Vyhnálek
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Zuzana Nedelská
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jakub Hort
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jan Laczó
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
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Spatial navigation deficits - overlooked cognitive marker for preclinical Alzheimer disease? Nat Rev Neurol 2019; 14:496-506. [PMID: 29980763 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-018-0031-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Detection of incipient Alzheimer disease (AD) pathophysiology is critical to identify preclinical individuals and target potentially disease-modifying therapies towards them. Current neuroimaging and biomarker research is strongly focused in this direction, with the aim of establishing AD fingerprints to identify individuals at high risk of developing this disease. By contrast, cognitive fingerprints for incipient AD are virtually non-existent as diagnostics and outcomes measures are still focused on episodic memory deficits as the gold standard for AD, despite their low sensitivity and specificity for identifying at-risk individuals. This Review highlights a novel feature of cognitive evaluation for incipient AD by focusing on spatial navigation and orientation deficits, which are increasingly shown to be present in at-risk individuals. Importantly, the navigation system in the brain overlaps substantially with the regions affected by AD in both animal models and humans. Notably, spatial navigation has fewer verbal, cultural and educational biases than current cognitive tests and could enable a more uniform, global approach towards cognitive fingerprints of AD and better cognitive treatment outcome measures in future multicentre trials. The current Review appraises the available evidence for spatial navigation and/or orientation deficits in preclinical, prodromal and confirmed AD and identifies research gaps and future research priorities.
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Ahmed S, Loane C, Bartels S, Zamboni G, Mackay C, Baker I, Husain M, Thompson S, Hornberger M, Butler C. Lateral parietal contributions to memory impairment in posterior cortical atrophy. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 20:252-259. [PMID: 30094173 PMCID: PMC6080578 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Objective Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterised by progressive impairment in visuospatial and perceptual function. Recent findings show that memory functioning can also be compromised early in the course of disease. In this study, we investigated the neural basis of memory impairment in PCA, and hypothesised that correlations would be observed with parietal cortex rather than classic medial temporal memory structures. Methods Eighteen PCA patients, 15 typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD) patients and 21 healthy controls underwent memory testing with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) word list and MRI. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to identify regions in the parietal and medial temporal lobes that correlated with memory performance. Results Compared with controls, PCA patients were impaired at learning, immediate and delayed recall and recognition of the RAVLT. Learning rate and immediate recall was significantly better in PCA compared to tAD, whereas there was no difference in delayed recall. Recognition memory also was not statistically different between patient groups, but PCA patients made significantly more false positive errors than tAD patients. VBM analysis in the PCA patients revealed a significant correlation between total learning and grey matter density in the right supramarginal gyrus, right angular gyrus and left postcentral gyrus. The left post central gyrus also significantly correlated with immediate and delayed recall and with recognition memory. No correlations were detected in the medial temporal lobe. Conclusions The findings provide novel evidence that early verbal memory impairment is frequently observed in PCA, and is associated with damage to lateral parietal structures. The results have implications for the diagnosis and management of PCA. PCA patients were impaired in learning, recall and recognition memory. Deficits were evident in the early stages of disease. Memory impairment was associated with damage to lateral parietal structures. No correlations were detected in the medial temporal lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrah Ahmed
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
| | - Clare Loane
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sara Bartels
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neurosciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Giovanna Zamboni
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Clare Mackay
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ian Baker
- Russell Cairns Unit, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Masud Husain
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Sian Thompson
- Department of Clinical Neurology, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Christopher Butler
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
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O'Donoghue MC, Murphy SE, Zamboni G, Nobre AC, Mackay CE. APOE genotype and cognition in healthy individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease: A review. Cortex 2018; 104:103-123. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selective overview of the evolution of the concept and assessment of working memory, and how its assessment has been confused with the assessment of some components of attention. A literature search using PsychNet Gold was conducted using the terms working memory. In addition, the writer reviewed recommendations from a sampling of recent neuropsychology texts in regard to the assessment of attention and working memory, as well as the two most recent editions of the Wechsler Memory Scale. It is argued that many clinicians have an incomplete understanding of the relationship between attention and working memory, and often conflate the two in assessment and treatment. Suggestions were made for assessing these abilities.
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Lundwall RA, Rasmussen CG. MAOA Influences the Trajectory of Attentional Development. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:424. [PMID: 27610078 PMCID: PMC4996824 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention is vital to success in all aspects of life (Meck and Benson, 2002; Erickson et al., 2015), hence it is important to identify biomarkers of later attentional problems early enough to intervene. Our objective was to determine if any of 11 genes (APOE, BDNF, HTR4, CHRNA4, COMT, DRD4, IGF2, MAOA, SLC5A7, SLC6A3, and SNAP25) predicted the trajectory of attentional development within the same group of children between infancy and childhood. We recruited follow up participants from children who participated as infants in visual attention studies and used a similar task at both time points. Using multilevel modeling, we associated changes in the participant’s position in the distribution of scores in infancy to his/her position in childhood with genetic markers on each of 11 genes. While all 11 genes predicted reaction time (RT) residual scores, only Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) had a significant interaction including time point. We conclude that the MAOA single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1137070 is useful in predicting which girls are likely to develop slower RTs on an attention task between infancy and childhood. This early identification is likely to be helpful in early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Lundwall
- Development of Visual Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University Provo, UT, USA
| | - Claudia G Rasmussen
- Development of Visual Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University Provo, UT, USA
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Narayanan V, Veeramuthu V, Ahmad-Annuar A, Ramli N, Waran V, Chinna K, Bondi MW, Delano-Wood L, Ganesan D. Missense Mutation of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Alters Neurocognitive Performance in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Study. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158838. [PMID: 27438599 PMCID: PMC4954696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The predictability of neurocognitive outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury is not straightforward. The extent and nature of recovery in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are usually heterogeneous and not substantially explained by the commonly known demographic and injury-related prognostic factors despite having sustained similar injuries or injury severity. Hence, this study evaluated the effects and association of the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) missense mutations in relation to neurocognitive performance among patients with mTBI. 48 patients with mTBI were prospectively recruited and MRI scans of the brain were performed within an average 10.1 (SD 4.2) hours post trauma with assessment of their neuropsychological performance post full Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) recovery. Neurocognitive assessments were repeated again at 6 months follow-up. The paired t-test, Cohen's d effect size and repeated measure ANOVA were performed to delineate statistically significant differences between the groups [wildtype G allele (Val homozygotes) vs. minor A allele (Met carriers)] and their neuropsychological performance across the time point (T1 = baseline/ admission vs. T2 = 6th month follow-up). Minor A allele carriers in this study generally performed more poorly on neuropsychological testing in comparison wildtype G allele group at both time points. Significant mean differences were observed among the wildtype group in the domains of memory (M = -11.44, SD = 10.0, p = .01, d = 1.22), executive function (M = -11.56, SD = 11.7, p = .02, d = 1.05) and overall performance (M = -6.89 SD = 5.3, p = .00, d = 1.39), while the minor A allele carriers showed significant mean differences in the domains of attention (M = -11.0, SD = 13.1, p = .00, d = .86) and overall cognitive performance (M = -5.25, SD = 8.1, p = .01, d = .66).The minor A allele carriers in comparison to the wildtype G allele group, showed considerably lower scores at admission and remained impaired in most domains across the timepoints, although delayed signs of recovery were noted to be significant in the domains attention and overall cognition. In conclusion, the current study has demonstrated the role of the BDNF rs6265 Val66Met polymorphism in influencing specific neurocognitive outcomes in patients with mTBI. Findings were more detrimentally profound among Met allele carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vairavan Narayanan
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
- * E-mail: (VN); (VV)
| | - Vigneswaran Veeramuthu
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
- * E-mail: (VN); (VV)
| | - Azlina Ahmad-Annuar
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Norlisah Ramli
- University Malaya Research Imaging Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Vicknes Waran
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Karuthan Chinna
- Julius Centre University Malaya, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mark William Bondi
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, United States of America
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Lisa Delano-Wood
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, United States of America
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Dharmendra Ganesan
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
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Lee A, Qiu A. Modulative effects of COMT haplotype on age-related associations with brain morphology. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:2068-82. [PMID: 26920810 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), located on chromosome 22q11.2, encodes an enzyme critical for dopamine flux in the prefrontal cortex. Genetic variants of COMT have been suggested to functionally manipulate prefrontal morphology and function in healthy adults. This study aims to investigate modulative roles of individuals COMT SNPs (rs737865, val158met, rs165599) and its haplotypes in age-related brain morphology using an Asian sample with 174 adults aged from 21 to 80 years. We showed an age-related decline in cortical thickness of the dorsal visual pathway, including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral angular gyrus, right superior frontal cortex, and age-related shape compression in the basal ganglia as a function of the genotypes of the individual COMT SNPs, especially COMT val158met. Using haplotype trend regression analysis, COMT haplotype probabilities were estimated and further revealed an age-related decline in cortical thickness in the default mode network (DMN), including the posterior cingulate, precuneus, supramarginal and paracentral cortex, and the ventral visual system, including the occipital cortex and left inferior temporal cortex, as a function of the COMT haplotype. Our results provided new evidence on an antagonistic pleiotropic effect in COMT, suggesting that genetically programmed neural benefits in early life may have a potential bearing towards neural susceptibility in later life. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2068-2082, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117576, Singapore
| | - Anqi Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117576, Singapore.,Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117456, Singapore.,Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, 117609, Singapore
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Rusted J, Carare RO. Are the effects of APOE ϵ4 on cognitive function in nonclinical populations age- and gender-dependent? Neurodegener Dis Manag 2016; 5:37-48. [PMID: 25711453 DOI: 10.2217/nmt.14.43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
APOE ϵ4 - one of three possible allelic variants (ϵ2, ϵ3 and ϵ4) of the polymorphic protein APOE - is well characterized in its role as the strongest risk factor (after old age) for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Perhaps less well known, and certainly less well characterized, is that this ϵ4 variant of the APOE gene also is a significant risk factor for age-related cognitive decline in nonclinical populations. This article considers APOE ϵ4 effects on cognition in people without dementia, the extent to which such effects may depend on age and on gender and other interactive biological systems that change across the lifespan.
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Lundwall RA, Dannemiller JL, Goldsmith HH. Genetic associations with reflexive visual attention in infancy and childhood. Dev Sci 2015; 20. [PMID: 26613685 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This study elucidates genetic influences on reflexive (as opposed to sustained) attention in children (aged 9-16 years; N = 332) who previously participated as infants in visual attention studies using orienting to a moving bar (Dannemiller, 2004). We investigated genetic associations with reflexive attention measures in infancy and childhood in the same group of children. The genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms and variable number tandem repeats on the genes APOE, BDNF, CHRNA4, COMT, DRD4, HTR4, IGF2, MAOA, SLC5A7, SLC6A3, and SNAP25) are related to brain development and/or to the availability of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, or serotonin. This study shows that typically developing children have differences in reflexive attention associated with their genes, as we found in adults (Lundwall, Guo & Dannemiller, 2012). This effort to extend our previous findings to outcomes in infancy and childhood was necessary because genetic influence may differ over the course of development. Although two of the genes that were tested in our adult study (Lundwall et al., 2012) were significant in either our infant study (SLC6A3) or child study (DRD4), the specific markers tested differed. Performance on the infant task was associated with SLC6A3. In addition, several genetic associations with an analogous child task occurred with markers on CHRNA4, COMT, and DRD4. Interestingly, the child version of the task involved an interaction such that which genotype group performed poorer on the child task depended on whether we were examining the higher or lower infant scoring group. These findings are discussed in terms of genetic influences on reflexive attention in infancy and childhood.
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Lundwall RA, Dannemiller JL. Genetic contributions to attentional response time slopes across repeated trials. BMC Neurosci 2015; 16:66. [PMID: 26471374 PMCID: PMC4608133 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-015-0201-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Attention provides vital contribution to everyday functioning, and deficits in attention feature in many psychological disorders. Improved understanding of attention may eventually be critical to early identification and treatment of attentional deficits. One step in that direction is to acquire a better understanding of genetic associations with performance on a task measuring reflexive (exogenous) visual attention. Reflexive attention is an important component of overall attention because (along with voluntary selective attention) it participates in determining where attention is allocated and how susceptible to distractors the subject might be. The task that we used involves the presentation of a target that is preceded by one of several different types of cues (none, double, or single, either ipsilateral or contralateral to where the target subsequently appears). We used several different outcome measures depending on the cue presented. We have previously studied the relationship between selected genes and mean response time (RT). Here we report on the contributions of genetic markers to RT increases or decreases over the course of the task (linear trend in RT slope). Results Specifically, we find that RT slope for a variety of reflexive attention outcome measures is dependent on DAT1 genotype. DRD4 was near significant for one outcome measure in the final (best) model. APOE, COMT, and DBH were not significant in any models. Conclusions It is especially interesting that genotype predicts linear changes in RT across trials (and not just mean differences or moment-to-moment variability). DAT1 is a gene that produces a protein involved in the transport of dopamine from the synapse. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has associated neurotransmitter genotypes with RT slope on a reflexive attention experiment. The direction of these effects is consistent with genetic risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). That is, those with two risk alleles for ADHD (6R/6R on the DAT1 intron 8 VNTR) either got slower as the task progressed or had the least improvement. Those with no risk alleles (5R/5R) had the most improvement in RT as the task progressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James L Dannemiller
- Department of Psychology, MS-25, Rice University, P. O. Box 1892, Houston, TX, 77251-1892, USA.
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Greenwood PM, Espeseth T, Lin MK, Reinvang I, Parasuraman R. Longitudinal change in working memory as a function of APOE genotype in midlife and old age. Scand J Psychol 2015; 55:268-77. [PMID: 24853824 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Previous investigations into whether the APOE-ε4 allele exerts cognitive effects at midlife have been inconclusive. We have advanced a "cognitive phenotype" hypothesis arguing that the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) is associated with lower efficiency of neuronal plasticity thereby resulting in poorer cognitive performance independently of the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (Greenwood et al., ). This hypothesis is best tested at midlife, prior to the neuron loss associated with AD diagnosis. This hypothesis predicts that the ε4 allele would alter cognition regardless of age through plasticity mechanisms, but would not induce longitudinal decline in midlife. The alternative "prodrome" hypothesis predicts that the APOE-ε4 allele would be associated with longitudinal cognitive decline as early as midlife due to prodromal effects of AD. We tested these hypotheses with a working memory task in a large cross-sectional sample of cognitively screened APOE-ε4 carriers and non-carriers and also in a small longitudinal sample over 3 years. The sample was divided into middle-aged (mean age 50, range 40-59) and older (mean age 69, range 60-84) individuals. Cross-sectionally, we observed that older, but not middle-aged, APOE-ε4 carriers had lower accuracy than ε4 non-carriers, mainly under the hardest discrimination condition. Longitudinally, we observed increases in accuracy in middle-aged APOE-ε4 carriers, suggesting a cognitive phenotype that includes ability to benefit from experience. We observed a longitudinal decrease in older APOE-ε4 carriers, suggesting an AD prodrome.
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Sun S, Fu J, Chen J, Pang W, Hu R, Li H, Tan L, Jiang Y. ApoE type 4 allele affects cognitive function of aged population in Tianjin City, China. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2015; 30:503-7. [PMID: 25585996 PMCID: PMC10852675 DOI: 10.1177/1533317514566114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Apolipoprotein E type 4 allele (ApoE∊4) is known as a risk gene for the late-onset Alzheimer's disease, and the relationship between ApoE∊4 and cognitive function of the elderly people has drawn the attention of the scientists. In this study, we investigated the relationship between ApoE∊4 and the cognitive function of the old people. A total of 156 old people were investigated, of whom 31 were ApoE∊4 carriers. The ApoE∊4 primarily influenced the global cognitive function, perceptual speed, and work memory. The results indicate that ApoE∊4 has significant negative effect on the cognitive function of the elderly people who are 60 years and older.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoudan Sun
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Institute of Health & Environmental Medicine, Tianjin, China Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingming Fu
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Institute of Health & Environmental Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun Chen
- College of Acupuncture and tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Wei Pang
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Institute of Health & Environmental Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Ruomei Hu
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Haiqiang Li
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Institute of Health & Environmental Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Long Tan
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Institute of Health & Environmental Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yugang Jiang
- Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Institute of Health & Environmental Medicine, Tianjin, China
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Papassotiropoulos A, de Quervain DJF. Genetics of human memory functions in healthy cohorts. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Yan FX, Wu CW, Chao YP, Chen CJ, Tseng YC. APOE-ε4 Allele Altered the Rest-Stimulus Interactions in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0128442. [PMID: 26053677 PMCID: PMC4460027 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The apolipoprotein E-ε4 allele is a well-known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which also impacts the cognitive functions and brain network connectivity in healthy middle-aged adults without dementia. Previous studies mainly focused on the effects of apolipoprotein E-ε4 allele on single index using task or resting-state fMRI. However, how these evoked and spontaneous BOLD indices interact with each other remains largely unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the ‘rest-stimulus interaction’ between working-memory activation and resting-state connectivity in middle-aged apolipoprotein E-ε4 carriers (n=9) and non-carriers (n=8). Four n-back task scans (n = 0, 1, 2, 3) and one resting-state scan were acquired at a 3T clinical MRI scanner. The working-memory beta maps of low-, moderate-, and high-memory loads and resting-state connectivity maps of default mode, executive control, and hippocampal networks were derived and compared between groups. Apolipoprotein E-ε4 carriers presented declined working-memory activation in the high-memory load across whole brain regions and reduced hippocampal connectivity compared with non-carriers. In addition, disrupted rest-stimulus interactions were found in the right anterior insula and bilateral parahippocampal regions for middle-aged adults with apolipoprotein E-ε4 allele. The rest-stimulus interaction improved the detectability of network integrity changes in apolipoprotein E-ε4 carriers, demonstrating the disrupted intrinsic connectivity within the executive-functional regions and the modulated memory-encoding capability within hippocampus-related regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Xian Yan
- Department of Radiology, Taipei Medical University—Shuang-Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Changwei W. Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ping Chao
- Graduate Institute of Medical Mechatronics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Jen Chen
- Department of Radiology, Taipei Medical University—Shuang-Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Chi Tseng
- Department of Radiology, Taipei Medical University—Shuang-Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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McAllister TW. Genetic factors in traumatic brain injury. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2015; 128:723-39. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63521-1.00045-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Parikh V, Bernard CS, Naughton SX, Yegla B. Interactions between Aβ oligomers and presynaptic cholinergic signaling: age-dependent effects on attentional capacities. Behav Brain Res 2014; 274:30-42. [PMID: 25101540 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Revised: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Substantial evidence suggests that cerebral deposition of the neurotoxic fibrillar form of amyloid precursor protein, β-amyloid (Aβ), plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Yet, many aspects of AD pathology including the cognitive symptoms and selective vulnerability of cortically projecting basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic neurons are not well explained by this hypothesis. Specifically, it is not clear why cognitive decline appears early when the loss of BF cholinergic neurons and plaque deposition are manifested late in AD. Soluble oligomeric forms of Aβ are proposed to appear early in the pathology and to be better predictors of synaptic loss and cognitive deficits. The present study was designed to examine the impact of Aβ oligomers on attentional functions and presynaptic cholinergic transmission in young and aged rats. Chronic intracranial infusions of Aβ oligomers produced subtle decrements in the ability of rats to sustain attentional performance with time on task, irrespective of the age of the animals. However, Aβ oligomers produced robust detrimental effects on performance under conditions of enhanced attentional load in aged animals. In vivo electrochemical recordings show reduced depolarization-evoked cholinergic signals in Aβ-infused aged rats. Moreover, soluble Aβ disrupted the capacity of cholinergic synapses to clear exogenous choline from the extracellular space in both young and aged rats, reflecting impairments in the choline transport process that is critical for acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis and release. Although aging per se reduced the cross-sectional area of BF cholinergic neurons and presynaptic cholinergic proteins in the cortex, attentional performance and ACh release remained unaffected in aged rats infused with the control peptide. Taken together, these data suggest that soluble Aβ may marginally influence attentional functions at young ages primarily by interfering with the choline uptake processes. However, age-related weakening of the cholinergic system may synergistically interact with these disruptive presynaptic mechanisms to make this neurotransmitter system vulnerable to the toxic effects of oligomeric Aβ in robustly impeding attentional capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States.
| | - Carcha S Bernard
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Sean X Naughton
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Brittney Yegla
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
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Suárez VM, Fernández Y, López EDCR, Clarke DH, Bobes MA, Riverón AM, López-Cánovas L. Apolipoprotein E alleles in Cuban patients with mild cognitive impairment. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2014; 29:236-41. [PMID: 24370622 PMCID: PMC10852632 DOI: 10.1177/1533317513517037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 genotype is the most clearly documented risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Epidemiological studies demonstrate an accelerated rate of progression to dementia and AD in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We assessed the ApoE allele and genotypes frequencies in Cuban patients with MCI. METHODS We performed ApoE genotyping of 74 Cuban patients more than 65 years old. Cognitive assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a cognitive battery for evaluating memory, attention, perception, and executive function. RESULTS Cognitive impairments were characterized by amnesia and executive deficits in patients with MCI. The Apo ε4 allele frequency was 0.196 in patients with MCI, 10-fold higher than that in the controls. Patients carrying the ε4 allele exhibited poorer performance in MMSE and tests assessing executive function and short-term memory than noncarriers. CONCLUSIONS The patients exhibited amnestic MCI multiple domains. Cognitive performance was worse in patients who carried the ApoE ε4 allele.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuriem Fernández
- Cognitive Neurosciences Department, Cuban Neurosciences Center, La Habana, Cuba
| | | | | | | | - Ana Maria Riverón
- Molecular Biology Department, Cuban Neurosciences Center, La Habana, Cuba
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APOE E4 Carriers show prospective memory enhancement under nicotine, and evidence for specialisation within medial BA10. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:655-63. [PMID: 23232444 PMCID: PMC3572462 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence to suggest that the APOE ɛ4 allele (which confers an increased risk of developing dementia) might be associated with cognitive advantages earlier in life. Further, nicotine might selectively benefit ɛ4 carriers. We used fMRI to explore performance on a prospective memory (PM) task in young adults (age 18-30) with and without nicotine using a within-subjects design. Participants performed an ongoing task while retaining a PM instruction to respond to specific stimuli embedded in the task. Nicotine effects varied according to APOE status. Reaction times to the PM cue were improved under nicotine in ɛ4 carriers, but not in ɛ3 carriers. In an event-related analysis, extrastriate responses to PM trials were enhanced by nicotine only in ɛ4 carriers. These differences in early visual processing may contribute to the behavioral findings. Activity in medial BA10 (previously implicated in PM) differentiated ɛ4 from ɛ3 carriers. One BA10 subregion showed greater deactivation in ɛ4 carriers during PM trials. Activity in other BA10 subregions was modulated by PM reaction time, pointing to region-specific effects within medial BA10. In addition, activity in right hippocampal formation was only seen in ɛ4 carriers receiving nicotine. These results demonstrate that cognitive enhancement by nicotine can selectively benefit APOE ɛ4 carriers, and point to genotype-specific differences in neural activity during PM. In addition, these results show that the role of medial BA10 in PM likely involves varying contributions from functionally specific subregions.
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Van Dam NT, Sano M, Mitsis EM, Grossman HT, Gu X, Park Y, Hof PR, Fan J. Functional neural correlates of attentional deficits in amnestic mild cognitive impairment. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54035. [PMID: 23326568 PMCID: PMC3543395 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 12/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; often considered a prodromal phase of Alzheimer's disease, AD) is most recognized by its implications for decline in memory function, research suggests that deficits in attention are present early in aMCI and may be predictive of progression to AD. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine differences in the brain during the attention network test between 8 individuals with aMCI and 8 neurologically healthy, demographically matched controls. While there were no significant behavioral differences between groups for the alerting and orienting functions, patients with aMCI showed more activity in neural regions typically associated with the networks subserving these functions (e.g., temporoparietal junction and posterior parietal regions, respectively). More importantly, there were both behavioral (i.e., greater conflict effect) and corresponding neural deficits in executive control (e.g., less activation in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices). Although based on a small number of patients, our findings suggest that deficits of attention, especially the executive control of attention, may significantly contribute to the behavioral and cognitive deficits of aMCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T. Van Dam
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Mary Sano
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Effie M. Mitsis
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Hillel T. Grossman
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Xiaosi Gu
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Yunsoo Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jin Fan
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
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Rusted JM, Evans SL, King SL, Dowell N, Tabet N, Tofts PS. APOE e4 polymorphism in young adults is associated with improved attention and indexed by distinct neural signatures. Neuroimage 2012; 65:364-73. [PMID: 23063453 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Revised: 09/27/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The APOE e4 allele, which confers an increased risk of developing dementia in older adulthood, has been associated with enhanced cognitive performance in younger adults. An objective of the current study was to compare task-related behavioural and neural signatures for e4 carriers (e4+) and non-e4 carriers (e4-) to help elucidate potential mechanisms behind such cognitive differences. On two measures of attention, we recorded clear behavioural advantages in young adult e4+ relative to e4-, suggesting that e4+ performed these tasks with a wider field of attention. Behavioural advantages were associated with increased task-related brain activations detected by fMRI (BOLD). In addition, behavioural measures correlated with structural measures derived from a former DTI analysis of white matter integrity in our cohort. These data provide clear support for an antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis--that the e4 allele confers some cognitive advantage in early life despite adverse consequences in old age. The data implicate differences in both structural and functional signatures as complementary mediators of the behavioural advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Rusted
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
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Hubacek JA, Vrablik M. Effect of apolipoprotein E polymorphism on statin-induced decreases in plasma lipids and cardiovascular events. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 26:13-20. [PMID: 21557673 DOI: 10.1515/dmdi.2011.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Hypercholesterolemia or dyslipidemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and statins (inhibitors of a key enzyme of cholesterol synthesis, 3-hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase) are the drugs of choice for decreasing plasma cholesterol. It has been estimated that genetic factors can explain 40%-60% of final cholesterol concentrations and approximately 70% of the efficacy of statin treatment. The gene most often analyzed in the context of statin efficacy is the gene for apolipoprotein E (APOE). This review summarizes evidence of the association between variations in the APOE gene locus and the response of plasma lipids to statin therapy. Although the results are not consistent, carriers of the APOE4 allele seems to be less responsive to statins than carriers of APOE2 and APOE3 alleles. This effect is partially context-dependent (gene-gender interactions; gene-nutrition and gene-smoking interactions have not yet been studied) and the absolute differences vary between different population groups.
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The Influence of Apolipoprotein E Epsilon4 Polymorphism on qEEG Profiles in Healthy Young Females: A Resting EEG Study. Brain Topogr 2012; 25:431-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s10548-012-0229-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Bender AR, Raz N. Age-related differences in memory and executive functions in healthy APOE ɛ4 carriers: the contribution of individual differences in prefrontal volumes and systolic blood pressure. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:704-14. [PMID: 22245009 PMCID: PMC3309165 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2011] [Revised: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 12/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Advanced age and vascular risk are associated with declines in the volumes of multiple brain regions, especially the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus. Older adults, even unencumbered by declining health, perform less well than their younger counterparts in multiple cognitive domains, such as episodic memory, executive functions, and speed of perceptual processing. Presence of a known genetic risk factor for cognitive decline and vascular disease, the ɛ4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, accounts for some share of those declines; however, the extent of the joint contribution of genetic and physiological vascular risk factors on the aging brain and cognition is unclear. In a sample of healthy adults (age 19-77), we examined the effects of a vascular risk indicator (systolic blood pressure, SBP) and volumes of hippocampus (HC), lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC), and prefrontal white matter (pFWM) on processing speed, working memory (WM), and recognition memory. Using path analyses, we modeled indirect effects of age, SBP, and brain volumes on processing speed, WM, and memory and compared the patterns of structural relations among those variables in APOE ɛ4 carriers and ɛ3 homozygotes. Among ɛ4 carriers, age differences in WM were explained by increase in SBP, reduced FWM volume, and slower processing. In contrast, lPFC and FWM volumes, but not BP, explained a share of age differences in WM among ɛ3 homozygotes. Thus, even in healthy older carriers of the APOE ɛ4 allele, clinically unremarkable increase in vascular risk may be associated with reduced frontal volumes and impaired cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Bender
- Department of Psychology & Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, United States
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Alichniewicz KK, Brunner F, Klünemann HH, Greenlee MW. Structural and functional neural correlates of visuospatial information processing in normal aging and amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging 2012; 33:2782-97. [PMID: 22429887 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2012.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2011] [Revised: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of cognitive changes related to human aging and their underlying neural processes is challenged by the distinction between normal and pathological aging. In our study, the neural correlates of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) in young persons (YC), healthy older adults (HC) and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) were investigated. Effects of the genetic risk factor apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 on a VSWM task were analyzed for HC and aMCI patients. Higher cortical activation in extrastriate occipital regions and significantly decreased brain volumes in frontoparietal areas were observed in HC compared with young persons. Also, reduced cortical activation in the right middle frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus was observed in aMCI-patients compared with HC. Thus, attenuated cortical activation during VSWM tasks is related to the formation of aMCI and may serve as an early marker for cognitive decline. In contrast to previous studies, no significant apolipoprotein E-linked differences were found between HC and aMCI groups.
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Lundwall RA, Guo DC, Dannemiller JL. Exogenous visual orienting is associated with specific neurotransmitter genetic markers: a population-based genetic association study. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30731. [PMID: 22348020 PMCID: PMC3279352 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Currently, there is a sense that the spatial orienting of attention is related to genotypic variations in cholinergic genes but not to variations in dopaminergic genes. However, reexamination of associations with both cholinergic and dopaminergic genes is warranted because previous studies used endogenous rather than exogenous cues and costs and benefits were not analyzed separately. Examining costs (increases in response time following an invalid pre-cue) and benefits (decreases in response time following a valid pre-cue) separately could be important if dopaminergic genes (implicated in disorders such as attention deficit disorder) independently influence the different processes of orienting (e.g., disengage, move, engage). Methodology/Principal Findings We tested normal subjects (N = 161) between 18 and 61 years. Participants completed a computer task in which pre-cues preceded the presence of a target. Subjects responded (with a key press) to the location of the target (right versus left of fixation). The cues could be valid (i.e., appear where the target would appear) or invalid (appear contralateral to where the target would appear). DNA sequencing assays were performed on buccal cells to genotype known genetic markers and these were examined for association with task scores. Here we show significant associations between visual orienting and genetic markers (on COMT, DAT1, and APOE; R2s from 4% to 9%). Conclusions/Significance One measure in particular – the response time cost of a single dim, invalid cue – was associated with dopaminergic markers on COMT and DAT1. Additionally, variations of APOE genotypes based on the ε2/ε3/ε4 alleles were also associated with response time differences produced by simultaneous cues with unequal luminances. We conclude that individual differences in visual orienting are related to several dopaminergic markers as well as to a cholinergic marker. These results challenge the view that orienting is not associated with genotypic variation in dopaminergic genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Lundwall
- Psychology Department, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America.
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Snigdha S, Christie LA, De Rivera C, Araujo JA, Milgram NW, Cotman CW. Age and distraction are determinants of performance on a novel visual search task in aged Beagle dogs. AGE (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2012; 34:67-73. [PMID: 21336566 PMCID: PMC3260365 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-011-9219-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2010] [Accepted: 02/06/2011] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Aging has been shown to disrupt performance on tasks that require intact visual search and discrimination abilities in human studies. The goal of the present study was to determine if canines show age-related decline in their ability to perform a novel simultaneous visual search task. Three groups of canines were included: a young group (N = 10; 3 to 4.5 years), an old group (N = 10; 8 to 9.5 years), and a senior group (N = 8; 11 to 15.3 years). Subjects were first tested for their ability to learn a simple two-choice discrimination task, followed by the visual search task. Attentional demands in the task were manipulated by varying the number of distracter items; dogs received an equal number of trials with either zero, one, two, or three distracters. Performance on the two-choice discrimination task varied with age, with senior canines making significantly more errors than the young. Performance accuracy on the visual search task also varied with age; senior animals were significantly impaired compared to both the young and old, and old canines were intermediate in performance between young and senior. Accuracy decreased significantly with added distracters in all age groups. These results suggest that aging impairs the ability of canines to discriminate between task-relevant and -irrelevant stimuli. This is likely to be derived from impairments in cognitive domains such as visual memory and learning and selective attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Snigdha
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, 1226 Gillespie NRF, Irvine, CA 92697-4540, USA.
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Redel P, Bublak P, Sorg C, Kurz A, Förstl H, Müller H, Schneider W, Perneczky R, Finke K. Deficits of spatial and task-related attentional selection in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2012; 33:195.e27-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2009] [Revised: 04/29/2010] [Accepted: 05/14/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Ready RE, Baran B, Chaudhry M, Schatz K, Gordon J, Spencer RMC. Apolipoprotein E-e4, processing speed, and white matter volume in a genetically enriched sample of midlife adults. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2011; 26:463-8. [PMID: 21937476 PMCID: PMC10845549 DOI: 10.1177/1533317511421921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2024]
Abstract
Healthy midlife children of a parent with Alzheimer's disease ([AD] N = 23; 9 male) participated in neuropsychological testing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain volumetrics were obtained. In all, 35% of the sample were apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-e4 positive (n = 8; 5 male). The ApoE-e4 group exhibited significantly slower performances on an executive function and processing speed measure and had less white matter volume than the non-ApoE-e4 group. Lesser white matter volume was significantly correlated with slower processing speed. Processing speed and changes in white matter volume might be indicators of preclinical decline in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Ready
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, USA.
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Pearson-Fuhrhop KM, Cramer SC. Genetic influences on neural plasticity. PM R 2011; 2:S227-40. [PMID: 21172685 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2010] [Accepted: 09/13/2010] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Neural plasticity refers to the capability of the brain to alter function or structure in response to a range of events and is a crucial component of both functional recovery after injury and skill learning in healthy individuals. A number of factors influence neural plasticity and recovery of function after brain injury. The current review considers the impact of genetic factors. Polymorphisms in the human genes coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor and apolipoprotein E have been studied in the context of plasticity and stroke recovery and are discussed here in detail. Several processes involved in plasticity and stroke recovery, such as depression or pharmacotherapy effects, are modulated by other genetic polymorphisms and are also discussed. Finally, new genetic polymorphisms that have not been studied in the context of stroke are proposed as new directions for study. A better understanding of genetic influences on recovery and response to therapy might allow improved treatment after a number of forms of central nervous system injury.
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Bowes JR, Stroman P, Garcia A. Neural correlates of focused attention in cognitively normal older adults. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.4236/wjns.2011.12003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Li CJ, Gan F, Chen XH, Liu ZG, Li LX, Wei QW, Tang YK. Molecular and expression analysis of apolipoprotein E gene in the Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2011; 158:64-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2010.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2010] [Revised: 09/14/2010] [Accepted: 09/17/2010] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Abstract
The Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene may be related to individual differences in cognition, likely via modulation of prefrontal dopamine catabolism. However, the available studies have yielded mixed results, possibly in part because they do not consistently account for other genes that affect cognition. We hypothesized that COMT Met allele homozygosity, which is associated with higher levels of prefrontal dopamine, would predict better executive function as measured using standard neuropsychological testing, and that other candidate genes might interact with COMT to modulate this effect. Participants were 95 healthy, right-handed adults who underwent genotyping and cognitive testing. COMT genotype predicted executive ability as measured by the Trail-Making Test, even after covarying for demographics and Apolipoprotein E (APOE), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) genotype. There was a COMT-ANKK1 interaction in which individuals having both the COMT Val allele and the ANKK1 T allele showed the poorest performance. This study suggests the heterogeneity in COMT effects reported in the literature may be due in part to gene-gene interactions that influence central dopaminergic systems.
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The roles of COMT val158met status and aviation expertise in flight simulator performance and cognitive ability. Behav Genet 2010; 41:700-8. [PMID: 21193954 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-010-9436-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2010] [Accepted: 12/17/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The polymorphic variation in the val158met position of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is associated with differences in executive performance, processing speed, and attention. The purpose of this study is: (1) replicate previous COMT val158met findings on cognitive performance; (2) determine whether COMT val158met effects extend to a real-world task, aircraft navigation performance in a flight simulator; and (3) determine if aviation expertise moderates any effect of COMT val158met status on flight simulator performance. One hundred seventy two pilots aged 41-69 years, who varied in level of aviation training and experience, completed flight simulator, cognitive, and genetic assessments. Results indicate that although no COMT effect was found for an overall measure of flight performance, a positive effect of the met allele was detected for two aspects of cognitive ability: executive functioning and working memory performance. Pilots with the met/met genotype benefited more from increased levels of expertise than other participants on a traffic avoidance measure, which is a component of flight simulator performance. These preliminary results indicate that COMT val158met polymorphic variation can affect a real-world task.
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40
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McAllister TW. Genetic Factors Modulating Outcome After Neurotrauma. PM R 2010; 2:S241-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2010] [Accepted: 10/06/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Laczó J, Andel R, Vlček K, Macoška V, Vyhnálek M, Tolar M, Bojar M, Hort J. Spatial navigation and APOE in amnestic mild cognitive impairment. NEURODEGENER DIS 2010; 8:169-77. [PMID: 21124005 DOI: 10.1159/000321581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effect of APOE ε4 allele (ε4) on spatial navigation in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is unknown. OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to examine the characteristics of spatial navigation impairment in ε4-positive (ε4+) and ε4-negative (ε4-) aMCI subgroups. METHODS Blood samples were collected to determine the APOE genotype. A total of 34 aMCI patients were stratified into aMCI-ε4- (n = 23) and aMCI-ε4+ (n = 11) groups. Control (n = 28) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 16) groups were also used. We used a human analogue of the Morris water maze (enclosed arena 2.9 m in diameter) to examine body-centered (egocentric) and world-centered (allocentric) spatial navigation. RESULTS The aMCI-ε4+ group performed poorer on spatial navigation than the aMCI-ε4- group in both egocentric and allocentric tasks even though these 2 groups did not differ in global cognitive functioning or neuropsychological tests. The aMCI-ε4+ and mild AD groups performed similarly on all Morris Water Maze tasks and were outperformed by the aMCI-ε4- group, which also resembled the control group in performance on the egocentric tasks. The aMCI groups showed poor spatial navigation learning regardless of their ε4 positivity. CONCLUSION We found more profound deficits in spatial navigation in aMCI-ε4+ relative to aMCI-ε4- patients. The aMCI-ε4+ group resembled the mild AD group in spatial navigation performance. Although the ε4 genotype was indicative of spatial navigation performance, it was not indicative of the aMCI patients' ability to learn the tasks. Spatial navigation testing represents a promising area with respect to identifying individuals at higher risk for AD among the heterogeneous MCI population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Laczó
- Memory Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, 2nd Medical School, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
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42
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Baldwin CL. Designing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers: Application of sensory-cognitive interaction theory. THEORETICAL ISSUES IN ERGONOMICS SCIENCE 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/1463922021000009029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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McGuinness B, Carson R, Barrett SL, Craig D, Passmore AP. Apolipoprotein ɛ4 and neuropsychological performance in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Neurosci Lett 2010; 483:62-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.07.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2010] [Revised: 06/23/2010] [Accepted: 07/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Festa EK, Heindel WC, Ott BR. Dual-task conditions modulate the efficiency of selective attention mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia 2010; 48:3252-61. [PMID: 20621109 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2009] [Revised: 05/22/2010] [Accepted: 07/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Given previous demonstrations of both selective and divided attention deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, understanding how declines in the integrity of component processes of selective attention in these patients interact with impairments to executive processes mediating dual-task performance has both theoretical and practical relevance. To address this issue, healthy elderly and AD patients performed computerized tasks of spatial orienting, Simon response interference, and visual search both in isolation and while simultaneously engaged in a visuomotor tracking task (i.e., maintaining car position within a simulated driving environment). Results from the single-task conditions confirmed previous demonstrations of selective attention deficits in AD. Dual-task conditions produced in AD patients (but not healthy elderly) a change in the efficiency of the selective attention mechanisms themselves, as reflected in differential effects on cue or display conditions within each task. Rather than exacerbating the selective attention deficits observed under single-task conditions, however, dual-task conditions produced an apparent diminution of these deficits. We suggest this diminution is due to the combination of deficient top-down inhibitory processes along with a decrease in the attention-capturing properties of cue information under dual-task conditions in AD patients. These findings not only increase our understanding of the nature of the attentional deficits in AD patients, but also have implications for understanding the processes mediating attention in neurologically intact individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena K Festa
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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Espeseth T, Westlye LT, Walhovd KB, Fjell AM, Endestad T, Rootwelt H, Reinvang I. Apolipoprotein E ε4-related thickening of the cerebral cortex modulates selective attention. Neurobiol Aging 2010; 33:304-322.e1. [PMID: 20382449 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2008] [Revised: 09/19/2009] [Accepted: 12/27/2009] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
APOE ε4 carriers have thicker cortex in several neocortical areas than ε4 noncarriers (Espeseth T., Westlye L.T., Fjell A.M., Walhovd K.B., Rootwelt H., Reinvang I., 2008. Accelerated age-related cortical thinning in healthy carriers of apolipoprotein E ε4. Neurobiol. Aging 29, 329-340). To investigate potential physiological and cognitive correlates of these anatomical effects structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were obtained from 20 APOE ε3 homozygotes and 20 ε4 hetero- and homozygotes, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a selective attention task (i.e. three-stimulus oddball). Several areas in both hemispheres were thicker in ε4 carriers than in noncarriers. ε4 carriers also had lower amplitudes to distractors (P3a) and lower target detection accuracy than noncarriers. Mean thickness in cortical areas were correlated with P3a amplitudes, which in turn correlated with accuracy. Path analyses showed that APOE-related difference in accuracy was mediated by APOE-related differences in cortical thickness and P3a amplitudes. The results suggest that APOE ε4 modulates the structural integrity of critical nodes in brain attentional networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Espeseth
- Center for the Study of Human Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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Duchek JM, Balota DA, Tse CS, Holtzman DM, Fagan AM, Goate AM. The utility of intraindividual variability in selective attention tasks as an early marker for Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychology 2010; 23:746-58. [PMID: 19899833 DOI: 10.1037/a0016583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
This study explored differences in intraindividual variability in 3 attention tasks across a large sample of healthy older adults and individuals with very mild dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). Three groups of participants (healthy young adults, healthy older adults, very mild DAT) were administered 3 experimental measures of attentional selection and switching (Stroop, Simon, task switching). The results indicated that a measure of intraindividual variability, coefficient of variation (CoV; SD/M), increased across age and early stage DAT. The CoV in Stroop discriminated the performance of epsilon4 carriers from noncarriers in healthy older controls and the CoV in task switching was correlated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers predictive of DAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet M Duchek
- Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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Jacobson AM, Paterson AD, Ryan CM, Cleary PA, Waberski BH, Weinger K, Musen G, Dahms W, Bayless M, Silvers N, Harth J, Boright AP. The associations of apolipoprotein E and angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphisms and cognitive function in Type 1 diabetes based on an 18-year follow-up of the DCCT cohort. Diabet Med 2010; 27:15-22. [PMID: 20121884 PMCID: PMC3043372 DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2009.02885.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Specific polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genes appear to increase risk for Alzheimer's disease and cognitive dysfunction in the general population, yet little research has examined whether genetic factors influence risk of cognitive dysfunction in patients with Type 1 diabetes. The long-term follow-up of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) population provides an opportunity to examine if specific genetic variations in APOE and ACE alter risk for cognitive decline. METHODS Neurocognitive function in Type 1 diabetic subjects from the DCCT/EDIC study was assessed at DCCT entry and re-assessed approximately 18 years later, using a comprehensive cognitive test battery. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) and the frequency of severe hypoglycaemic events leading to coma or seizures were measured over the 18-year follow-up. We determined whether the APO epsilon4 and ACE intron 16 indel genotypes were associated with baseline cognitive function and with change over time, and whether they conferred added risk in those subjects experiencing severe hypoglycaemic events or greater glycaemic exposure. RESULTS None of the APOE or ACE polymorphisms were associated with either baseline cognitive performance or change in cognition over the 18-year follow-up. Moreover, none of the genotype variations altered the risk of cognitive dysfunction in those subjects with severe hypoglycaemic episodes or high HbA(1c). CONCLUSIONS In this sample of young and middle-aged adults with Type 1 diabetes, APO epsilon4 and ACE D alleles do not appear to increase risk of cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Jacobson
- Joslin Diabetes Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Pearson-Fuhrhop KM, Kleim JA, Cramer SC. Brain plasticity and genetic factors. Top Stroke Rehabil 2009; 16:282-99. [PMID: 19740733 DOI: 10.1310/tsr1604-282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Brain plasticity refers to changes in brain function and structure that arise in a number of contexts. One area in which brain plasticity is of considerable interest is recovery from stroke, both spontaneous and treatment-induced. A number of factors influence these poststroke brain events. The current review considers the impact of genetic factors. Polymorphisms in the human genes coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) have been studied in the context of plasticity and/or stroke recovery and are discussed here in detail. Several other genetic polymorphisms are indirectly involved in stroke recovery through their modulating influences on processes such as depression and pharmacotherapy effects. Finally, new genetic polymorphisms that have not been studied in the context of stroke are proposed as new directions for study. A better understanding of genetic influences on recovery and response to therapy might allow improved treatment after stroke.
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Reinvang I, Winjevoll IL, Rootwelt H, Espeseth T. Working memory deficits in healthy APOE epsilon 4 carriers. Neuropsychologia 2009; 48:566-73. [PMID: 19879282 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2009] [Revised: 09/11/2009] [Accepted: 10/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Studies on the cognitive effects of APOE allele variation in healthy persons have mainly focused on episodic memory performance as most sensitive to genetic effects. The present study focuses on working memory performance, measured both in an experimental paradigm, the AX-Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT), and in neuropsychological test paradigms of span capacity and interference control. In a highly functioning healthy group (N=186) of mean age 64.5 years we found evidence of reduced working memory performance in APOE epsilon4 carriers, with sex and epsilon4 dose as modifying variables. Several aspects of capacity and control in working memory were affected, while genetic effects were not present for measures of episodic memory. The pattern of results suggests that response inhibition is sensitive to genetic effects. In healthy individuals the broad range of neurobiological mechanisms associated with APOE is consistent with effects on non-memory cognitive subsystems, and gender effects may be modulated by interaction of APOE with myelination, androgen mechanisms, or broad patterns of age-related changes in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivar Reinvang
- Center for Study of Human Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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Parasuraman R. Assaying individual differences in cognition with molecular genetics: theory and application. THEORETICAL ISSUES IN ERGONOMICS SCIENCE 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/14639220903106403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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