Institute for Translational Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2022;51(1):26-31. doi: 10.1159/000521898. Epub 2022 Feb 28.
The APOEε4 allele is the single strongest genetic risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prior work demonstrates that not only the APOEε4 allele varies by race/ethnicity but also the risk for AD and cognitive impairment conveyed by the APOEε4 allele varies by the racial/ethnic group as well as genetic ancestry. Here, we sought to examine the link between the APOEε4 and neuropsychological functioning among Mexican Americans (MAs).
Data were examined from 1,633 (852 MAs and 781 non-Hispanic Whites [NHWs]) participants of the Health & Aging Brain Study - Health Disparities (HABS-HD) and were enrolled with all requisite data to be included into the current analyses.
The frequency of both ε4 and ε2 alleles was significantly lower among MAs as compared to NHWs. Among MAs, APOEε4 allele presence was associated specifically with poorer immediate and delayed memory (Wechsler Memory Scale - Third Edition [WMS-III] Logical Memory and Spanish-English Verbal Learning Test [SEVLT]). Among NHWs, APOEε4 allele presence was associated with poorer immediate and delayed memory as well as worse executive functioning (Trials B) and verbal fluency (Animal naming).
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The APOEε4 allele was associated with poorer cognition across multiple domains among NHWs; however, allele presence was specifically associated with poorer memory performance among MAs. When combined with prior work, the current findings demonstrate that the risk factors associated with cognitive dysfunction differ among MAs as compared to NHWs and require additional investigation.
APOEε4 等位基因是导致迟发性阿尔茨海默病（AD）的单一最强遗传风险因素。先前的研究表明，APOEε4 等位基因不仅在不同种族/民族之间存在差异，而且 APOEε4 等位基因所带来的 AD 和认知障碍风险在不同种族/民族群体以及遗传背景中也存在差异。在这里，我们试图研究 APOEε4 与墨西哥裔美国人（MA）的神经心理学功能之间的联系。
我们对来自 1633 名（852 名 MA 和 781 名非西班牙裔白人[NHW]）健康与老龄化大脑研究-健康差异（HABS-HD）参与者的数据进行了检查，并纳入了所有必要的数据以进行当前分析。
与 NHW 相比，MA 中 ε4 和 ε2 等位基因的频率明显较低。在 MA 中，APOEε4 等位基因的存在与较差的即刻和延迟记忆（韦氏记忆量表第三版[WMS-III]逻辑记忆和西班牙-英语词汇学习测试[SEVLT]）相关。在 NHW 中，APOEε4 等位基因的存在与较差的即刻和延迟记忆以及较差的执行功能（Trial B）和言语流畅性（动物命名）相关。
讨论/结论：APOEε4 等位基因与 NHW 中多个领域的认知功能较差相关；然而，等位基因的存在与 MA 中较差的记忆表现特别相关。当与先前的工作相结合时，目前的研究结果表明，与认知功能障碍相关的危险因素在 MA 与 NHW 之间存在差异，需要进一步研究。
