Abstract
We evaluated the influence of the APOE-ε4 allele on post-concussive symptoms in military Veterans with a remote history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Participants (N = 77) were administered neuropsychiatric measures, on average, approximately 5 years following their most recent mTBI and provided a DNA sample for APOE genotyping. Veterans were divided into two groups based on their ε4 status (n = 14 ε4+, n = 63 ε4-). The Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) was the primary outcome measure, from which a total score was derived, as well as three symptom clusters (somatic, cognitive, and affective). ANCOVAs showed a significant main effect of ε4 genotype on the NSI total score and somatic symptom cluster after adjusting for posttraumatic stress symptoms and mTBI history (p = .019-.028, ηp2 = .064-.073), such that ε4+ Veterans endorsed significantly greater symptoms than ε4- Veterans. Our findings suggest that genetic risk may help to explain the poorer long-term outcomes often observed in this population.
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