Evaluation of Polygenic Risk Scores for a Possible Genetic Basis of the Inverse Association Between Cancer and Cognitive Decline.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Accumulating evidence suggests that the incidence of cancer and dementia are inversely associated. Bias does not appear to fully account for the relationship, but causal explanations have not been adequately investigated. We thus considered a possible inverse shared genetic basis.

Methods

We constructed polygenic risk scores for cancer (PRS cancer ) and Alzheimer disease (PRS AD ) in European ancestry UK Biobank (UKB) and Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants aged 60 years or older. Linear mixed-effects models evaluated associations of PRS cancer with cognition, and logistic regression evaluated associations of PRS AD with cancer.

Results

In UKB, PRS cancer was nominally associated with improved fluid intelligence ( β : 0.12, 95% CI: 0.01-0.22). Tw

SUBMITTER: Graff RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12637131 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct-Dec 01

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature