Apolipoprotein E and intellectual achievement

Richard J. Caselli, Joseph G. Hentz, David Osborne, Neill R. Graff-Radford, Carolyn J. Barbieri, Gene E. Alexander, Geri R. Hall, Eric M. Reiman, John Hardy, Ann M. Saunders

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether apolipoprotein E (apo E) genotype influences intellectual achievement in cognitively normal individuals. DESIGN: Between 1994 and 1999 we performed apo E testing on 1,000 self-described cognitively normal residents of Maricopa County and detailed neuropsychological testing on a subset of 250. SETTING: Tertiary care academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Cognitively normal adults genotyped for apo E. MEASUREMENTS: Measures of intellectual background included years of education and a demographically based estimate of intellectual capacity (demographic intellectual quotient (DIQ)). Measures of intellectual achievement, which included Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale revised (WAIS-R), information (WAISI), and vocabulary (WAISV) scores, occupational intellectual requirements (OIR), and census-derived estimates of household income, were compared between apo E genetic subgroups while adjusting for intellectual background and demographic variables. RESULTS: WAISI, WAISV, OIR, and income correlated with age, sex, education, and DIQ, but after controlling for these variables there were no clinically significant differences between apo E-e4 homozygotes and noncarriers on any measure. CONCLUSIONS: No clinically significant differences between genotypes were observed for the effects of education and DIQ on WAISI, WAISV, OIR, or income, although a larger sample size would be required to exclude smaller, clinically insignificant differences.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)49-54
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society
Volume50
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002

Keywords

  • Aging
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Apolipoprotein E
  • Intelligence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

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