Epigenome-Wide Association Study of Cognitive Functioning in Middle-Aged Monozygotic Twins.

ABSTRACT: As the world's population ages, the age-related cognitive decline presents a great challenge to world's healthcare systems. One of the molecular mechanisms implicated in cognitive ageing is DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification known to be a key player in memory formation, maintenance, and synaptic plasticity. Using the twin design we performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) in a population of 486 middle-aged monozygotic twins (mean age at follow-up 65.9, SD = 6.1) and correlated their blood DNA methylation to their level (cross-sectional analysis) and change in cognitive abilities over 10 years (longitudinal analysis). We identified several CpG sites where cross-sectional cognitive functioning was associated with DNA methylation levels. The top identified loci wer

SUBMITTER: Starnawska A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5733014 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature