Genetic risk for Alzheimer disease predicts hippocampal volume through the human lifespan.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To test the hypothesis that genetic risk for Alzheimer disease (AD) may represent a stable influence on the brain from early in life, rather than being primarily age dependent, we investigated in a lifespan sample of 1,181 persons with a total of 2,690 brain scans, whether higher polygenic risk score (PGS) for AD and presence of APOE ε4 was associated with lower hippocampal volumes to begin with, as an offset effect, or possibly faster decline in older age.

Methods

Using general additive mixed models, we assessed the relations of PGS for AD, including variants in APOE with hippocampal volume and its change in a cognitively healthy longitudinal lifespan sample (age range: 4-95 years, mean visit age 39.7 years, SD 26.9 years), followed for up to 11 year

SUBMITTER: Walhovd KB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7577559 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature