The APO E4 allele and cognition in New Mexico Hispanic elderly.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if the apolipoprotein E E4 (APO E4) allele is associated with cognitive performance in New Mexico Hispanic elderly.

METHOD

We performed a cross-sectional survey of 105 community volunteers, aged 60 years and older, born in New Mexico, with both parents of Hispanic descent. Subjects were excluded for medical conditions that could influence cognitive performance. We also performed a longitudinal analysis on 18 participants who were re-tested over a 3-year interval. The main outcome measures for both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis were scores on 5 cognitive tests comparing subjects with the E4 allele to those without the E4 allele.

RESULTS

The mean age was 69 years, with a range of 60 to 91. For the cross-sectional analysis, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups on the cognitive tests, although subjects with an E4 allele did not perform as well on color trails A (P=.09). In the longitudinal analysis we found that the variability of cognitive test scores tended to be higher in the E4 group on most cognitive measures. The time needed to complete color trails A (indicating slower performance) was significantly greater (P<.05) in the E4 group. For the total recall portion of the Fuld Object Memory test, the E4 group did not perform as well on follow-up (P=.08).

CONCLUSION

We found no significant cross-sectional association between the APO E4 allele and cognitive performance. In our longitudinal analysis, the time needed to complete color trails A was significantly greater in the E4 group, and the E4 group did not perform as well on total recall.