Education moderates the negative effect of apolipoprotein e ?4 on response inhibition in older adults
Journal
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
Journal Volume
82
Journal Issue
3
Pages
1147-1157
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Abstract
Background: Studies have reported that apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE ?4) has adverse effects on executive functions (EFs) in late adulthood. However, the results have been inconsistent. Insufficient measurements of executive functioning, uncontrolled clinical and demographic confounders, and moderation effects from other environmental factors are suspected to account for the inconsistency. Objective: This study used aggregate measures to examine the effects of APOE ?4 on four components of EFs, namely switching, working memory, inhibition, and reasoning. We further investigated whether high educational attainment, a proxy measure for cognitive reserve, moderates the adverse effects of ?4 on EFs. Methods: Cognitively unimpaired older participants were divided into groups based on APOE genotype and into subgroups based on educational attainment level. The demographic and clinical variables were matched between the groups. Four core components of the EFs were measured using a relatively comprehensive battery. Results: The results revealed that although no main effect of the APOE genotype was observed across the four EF components, the potentially adverse effects of ?4 on inhibition were alleviated by high educational attainment. A main effect of education on the reasoning component was also observed. The moderation analysis revealed that for older adults with 12 years of education or fewer, the relationship between the APOE ?4 genotype and inhibition performance became increasingly negative. Conclusion: This study highlights the distinctive role of response inhibition in the gene-environment interaction and underlines the importance of considering factors of both nature and nurture to understand the complex process of cognitive aging. ? 2021 - IOS Press. All rights reserved.
Subjects
Apolipoproteins E
cognitive aging
cognitive reserve
education
executive function
apolipoprotein E4
aged
allele
educational status
female
genetics
human
male
middle aged
nerve cell inhibition
neuropsychological test
physiology
Aged
Alleles
Apolipoprotein E4
Cognitive Reserve
Educational Status
Executive Function
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neural Inhibition
Neuropsychological Tests
Type
journal article