Trumble Benjamin C, Stieglitz Jonathan, Blackwell Aaron D, Allayee Hooman, Beheim Bret, Finch Caleb E, Gurven Michael, Kaplan Hillard
School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA;
Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
FASEB J. 2017 Apr;31(4):1508-1515. doi: 10.1096/fj.201601084R. Epub 2016 Dec 28.
The apolipoprotein E4 (E4) allele is present worldwide, despite its associations with higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity, accelerated cognitive decline during aging, and Alzheimer disease (AD). The E4 allele is especially prevalent in some tropical regions with a high parasite burden. Equatorial populations also face a potential dual burden of high E4 prevalence combined with parasitic infections that can also reduce cognitive performance. We examined the interactions of E4, parasite burden, and cognitive performance in a traditional, nonindustrialized population of Amazonian forager-horticulturalists ( 372) to test whether E4 protects against cognitive decline in environments with a heavy pathogen burden. Contrary to observations in industrial populations, older adult E4 carriers with high parasite burdens either maintained or showed slight improvements in cognitive performance, whereas non-E4 carriers with a high parasite burden showed reduced cognitive performance. Being an E4 carrier is the strongest risk factor to date of AD and cognitive decline in industrial populations; it is associated with greater cognitive performance in individuals facing a high parasite and pathogen load, suggesting advantages to the E4 allele under certain environmental conditions. The current mismatch between postindustrial hygienic lifestyles and active parasite-rich environs may be critical for understanding genetic risk for cognitive aging.-Trumble, B. C., Stieglitz, J., Blackwell, A. D., Allayee, H., Beheim, B., Finch, C. E., Gurven, M., Kaplan, H. Apolipoprotein E4 is associated with improved cognitive function in Amazonian forager-horticulturalists with a high parasite burden.
载脂蛋白E4（E4）等位基因在全球范围内都存在，尽管它与心血管疾病发病率升高、衰老过程中认知能力加速衰退以及阿尔茨海默病（AD）有关。E4等位基因在一些寄生虫负担较重的热带地区尤为普遍。赤道地区的人群还面临着E4高流行率与寄生虫感染相结合的潜在双重负担，而寄生虫感染也会降低认知能力。我们在一个传统的、非工业化的亚马逊觅食-园艺人群（372人）中研究了E4、寄生虫负担和认知能力之间的相互作用，以测试E4在病原体负担较重的环境中是否能预防认知能力下降。与在工业化人群中的观察结果相反，寄生虫负担高的老年E4携带者的认知能力要么保持不变，要么略有提高，而寄生虫负担高的非E4携带者的认知能力则有所下降。在工业化人群中，成为E4携带者是迄今为止患AD和认知能力下降的最强风险因素；在面临高寄生虫和病原体负荷的个体中，它与更好的认知能力相关，这表明在某些环境条件下E4等位基因具有优势。后工业化卫生生活方式与活跃的富含寄生虫的环境之间目前的不匹配，可能对理解认知衰老的遗传风险至关重要。——特朗布尔，B.C.，施蒂格利茨，J.，布莱克韦尔，A.D.，阿拉耶，H.，贝海姆，B.，芬奇，C.E.，古尔文，M.，卡普兰，H. 载脂蛋白E4与寄生虫负担高的亚马逊觅食-园艺人群认知功能改善有关。
