APOE -ε4 associates with hippocampal volume, learning, and memory across the spectrum of Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

摘要

IntroductionAlthough the apolipoprotein E ε4-allele (APOE-ε4) is a susceptibility factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), its relationship with imaging and cognitive measures across the AD/DLB spectrum remains unexplored. MethodsWe studied 298 patients (AD?=?250, DLB?=?48; 38 autopsy-confirmed;NCT01800214) using neuropsychological testing, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, andAPOEgenotyping to investigate the association ofAPOE-ε4 with hippocampal volume and learning/memory phenotypes, irrespective of diagnosis. ResultsAcross the AD/DLB spectrum: (1) hippocampal volumes were smaller with increasingAPOE-ε4 dosage (no genotype?×?diagnosis interaction observed), (2) learning performance as assessed by total recall scores was associated with hippocampal volumes only amongAPOE-ε4 carriers, and (3)APOE-ε4 carriers performed worse on long-delay free word recall. DiscussionThese findings provide evidence thatAPOE-ε4 is linked to hippocampal atrophy and learning/memory phenotypes across the AD/DLB spectrum, which could be useful as biomarkers of disease progression in therapeutic trials of mixed disease.