Effects of ApoE-ε4 allele load and age on the rates of grey matter and hippocampal volumes loss in a longitudinal cohort of 1186 healthy elderly persons
NeuroImage. 2010-11-01; 53(3): 1064-1069
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.116
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1. Neuroimage. 2010 Nov 15;53(3):1064-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.116. Epub
2010 Jan 6.
Effects of ApoE-epsilon4 allele load and age on the rates of grey matter and
hippocampal volumes loss in a longitudinal cohort of 1186 healthy elderly
persons.
Crivello F(1), Lemaître H, Dufouil C, Grassiot B, Delcroix N, Tzourio-Mazoyer N,
Tzourio C, Mazoyer B.
Author information:
(1)CINAPS, UMR 6232-CNRS-CEA-Universités de Caen & Paris Descartes, Caen, France.
In a sample of 1186 healthy subjects aged 65 to 89 years who were scanned twice
with MRI 3.6 years apart, we studied the effects of age and ApoE-epsilon4 allele
load on the rate of atrophy of grey matter and hippocampus. Rates of grey matter
and hippocampal volumes loss were computed from T1-weighted magnetic resonance
images using voxel-based morphometry and region of interest analysis.
Longitudinal analysis showed that an age-related annual rate of grey matter
volume loss was only seen in epsilon4 homozygotes only (n=14) whereas no age
effect was seen epsilon4 heterozygotes (n=239) and in noncarriers (n=933).
ApoE-epsilon4 homozygotes also had a significantly larger rate of hippocampal
volume loss than heterozygotes or noncarriers. During the same period, no effect
or interaction of ApoE genotype and age was observed on cognitive decline, as
assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). These data do not suggest
an epsilon4 gene dose effect on the rate of hippocampal volume loss in healthy
elderly subjects as most of the effect was limited to homozygotes. Hippocampal
volume loss may not be a good imaging marker to understand the effect of the
ApoE-epsilon4 allele on the risk of dementia in a population-based setting. It
could be hypothesized that the impact of a single ApoE-epsilon4 allele on brain
structures is largely delayed in time.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.116
PMID: 20060049 [Indexed for MEDLINE]