The neuropsychology of normal aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

A National Institute on Aging-sponsored work group on preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) articulated the need to characterize cognitive differences between normal aging and preclinical AD.

Methods

Seventy-one apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 homozygotes, 194 ε3/ε4 heterozygotes, and 356 ε4 noncarriers age 21 to 87 years who were cognitively healthy underwent neuropsychological testing every 2 years. Longitudinal trajectories of test scores were compared between APOE subgroups.

Results

There was a significant effect of age on all cognitive domains in both APOE ε4 carriers and noncarriers. A significant effect of APOE ε4 gene dose was confined to the memory domain and the Dementia Rating Scale. Cross-sectional comparisons did not discriminate the groups.

Conclu

SUBMITTER: Caselli RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3700591 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature