Subjective cognitive concerns, episodic memory, and the APOE ε4 allele

Cécilia Samieri; Cécile Proust-Lima; Maria M Glymour; Olivia I Okereke; Rebecca E Amariglio; Reisa A Sperling; Dorene M Rentz; Francine Grodstein

doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2014.06.012

Subjective cognitive concerns, episodic memory, and the APOE ε4 allele

Alzheimers Dement. 2014 Nov;10(6):752-759.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.06.012. Epub 2014 Sep 23.

Authors

Cécilia Samieri¹, Cécile Proust-Lima², Maria M Glymour³, Olivia I Okereke⁴, Rebecca E Amariglio⁵, Reisa A Sperling⁵, Dorene M Rentz⁵, Francine Grodstein⁶

Affiliations

¹ Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; INSERM, Centre INSERM U897-Epidémiologie-Biostatistiques, Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INSERM U897-Epidémiologie-Biostatistiques, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: cecilia.samieri@channing.harvard.edu.
² INSERM, Centre INSERM U897-Epidémiologie-Biostatistiques, Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INSERM U897-Epidémiologie-Biostatistiques, Bordeaux, France.
³ Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁴ Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁶ Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Subjective cognitive concerns may represent a simple method to assess likelihood of memory decline among apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 carriers.

Methods: We examined the relationship of self-reported subjective cognitive concerns, using seven specific cognitive concerns, with memory and memory decline over 6 years among APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers from the Nurses' Health Study.

Results: In both groups, increasing subjective cognitive concern score predicted worse baseline memory and faster rates of subsequent memory decline, after adjustment for age, education and depression. The relation with baseline memory appeared statistically stronger in APOE ε4 carriers (P-interaction = 0.03). For memory decline, mean differences in slopes of episodic memory (95% CI) for 4 to 7 versus no concern = -0.05 (-0.10, 0.01) standard units in APOE ε4 carriers, and -0.04 (-0.08, -0.01) standard units in non-carriers.

Conclusions: APOE ε4 carriers with self-assessed cognitive concerns appear to have worse memory, and possibly accelerated memory decline.

Keywords: Apolipoprotein E4; Memory; Subjective cognitive concerns.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Apolipoprotein E4 / genetics*
Cognition / physiology*
Female
Genotype
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Memory Disorders / genetics*
Memory, Episodic*
Middle Aged
Nurses
Recognition, Psychology
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

Apolipoprotein E4

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding