Abstract
Background: The rs405509 polymorphism ofthe apolipoprotein E (APOE) promoter is related to Alzheimer’sdisease (AD). The T/T allele of rs405509 is known to decrease the transcription of the APOE gene and lead to impairments in specific brain structural networks with aging; thus, it is an important risk factor for AD. However, it remains unknown whether rs405509 affects brain functional connectivity (FC) in aging.Methods: We investigated the effect of the rs405509 genotype (T/T vs. G-allele) on age-related brain FC using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Forty-five elderly TT carriers and 45 elderly G-allele carriers were scanned during a working memory (WM) task.Results: We found that TT carriers showed an accelerated age-related increase in functional activation in the left postcentral gyrus compared with G-allele carriers. Furthermore, the FC between the left postcentral gyrus and some key regions during WM performance, including the right caudal and superior frontal sulcus (SFS), was differentially modulated by age across rs405509 genotype groups.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the rs405509 T/T allele of APOE causes an age-related brain functional decline in nondemented elderly people, which may be beneficial for understanding the neural mechanisms of rs405509-related cognitive aging and AD pathogenesis.
Highlights
As the most common cause of dementia in the world, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been studied for many years (Mondadori et al, 2007)
The results showed that the interaction between rs405509 genotype and age had a significant effect on Mental Status ExaminationChinese version (MMSE) (t = 3.06, p = 0.003) and Stroop C-B (t = −3.036, p = 0.003) scores
We found direct evidence to prove that the apolipoprotein E (APOE) promoter polymorphism plays a significant role in the neural system
Summary
As the most common cause of dementia in the world, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been studied for many years (Mondadori et al, 2007). Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) is deemed to be a genetic risk factor for sporadic AD (Strittmatter et al, 1993). The rs405509 polymorphism of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) promoter is related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The T/T allele of rs405509 is known to decrease the transcription of the APOE gene and lead to impairments in specific brain structural networks with aging; it is an important risk factor for AD. It remains unknown whether rs405509 affects brain functional connectivity (FC) in aging
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