Gender modulates the APOE ε4 effect in healthy older adults: convergent evidence from functional brain connectivity and spinal fluid tau levels
- PMID:22699906
- PMCID: PMC3394933
- DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0305-12.2012
Gender modulates the APOE ε4 effect in healthy older adults: convergent evidence from functional brain connectivity and spinal fluid tau levels
Abstract
We examined whether the effect of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on functional brain connectivity is modulated by gender in healthy older human adults. Our results confirm significantly decreased connectivity in the default mode network in healthy older APOE ε4 carriers compared with ε3 homozygotes. More important, further testing revealed a significant interaction between APOE genotype and gender in the precuneus, a major default mode hub. Female ε4 carriers showed significantly reduced default mode connectivity compared with either female ε3 homozygotes or male ε4 carriers, whereas male ε4 carriers differed minimally from male ε3 homozygotes. An additional analysis in an independent sample of healthy elderly using an independent marker of Alzheimer's disease, i.e., spinal fluid levels of tau, provided corresponding evidence for this gender-by-APOE interaction. Together, these results converge with previous work showing a higher prevalence of the ε4 allele among women with Alzheimer's disease and, critically, demonstrate that this interaction between APOE genotype and gender is detectable in the preclinical period.
Figures





Similar articles
- Intrinsic functional connectivity alterations in cognitively intact elderly APOE ε4 carriers measured by eigenvector centrality mapping are related to cognition and CSF biomarkers: a preliminary study.Luo X, Qiu T, Jia Y, Huang P, Xu X, Yu X, Shen Z, Jiaerken Y, Guan X, Zhou J, Zhang M; ADNI.Luo X, et al.Brain Imaging Behav. 2017 Oct;11(5):1290-1301. doi: 10.1007/s11682-016-9600-z.Brain Imaging Behav. 2017.PMID:27714554
- Apolipoprotein E ε4 Modulates Cognitive Profiles, Hippocampal Volume, and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Alzheimer's Disease.Wang X, Wang J, He Y, Li H, Yuan H, Evans A, Yu X, He Y, Wang H.Wang X, et al.J Alzheimers Dis. 2015;45(3):781-95. doi: 10.3233/JAD-142556.J Alzheimers Dis. 2015.PMID:25624419
- Interactive effects of the APOE and BDNF polymorphisms on functional brain connectivity: the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project.Pietzuch M, Bindoff A, Jamadar S, Vickers JC.Pietzuch M, et al.Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 15;11(1):14514. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-93610-0.Sci Rep. 2021.PMID:34267235Free PMC article.
- Increased brain activation during working memory in cognitively intact adults with the APOE epsilon4 allele.Wishart HA, Saykin AJ, Rabin LA, Santulli RB, Flashman LA, Guerin SJ, Mamourian AC, Belloni DR, Rhodes CH, McAllister TW.Wishart HA, et al.Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Sep;163(9):1603-10. doi: 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.9.1603.Am J Psychiatry. 2006.PMID:16946187
- Cerebrospinal fluid beta-amyloid1-42 and tau in control subjects at risk for Alzheimer's disease: the effect of APOE epsilon4 allele.Sunderland T, Mirza N, Putnam KT, Linker G, Bhupali D, Durham R, Soares H, Kimmel L, Friedman D, Bergeson J, Csako G, Levy JA, Bartko JJ, Cohen RM.Sunderland T, et al.Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Nov 1;56(9):670-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.07.021.Biol Psychiatry. 2004.PMID:15522251
Cited by
- Accelerated cell aging in female APOE-ε4 carriers: implications for hormone therapy use.Jacobs EG, Kroenke C, Lin J, Epel ES, Kenna HA, Blackburn EH, Rasgon NL.Jacobs EG, et al.PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e54713. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054713. Epub 2013 Feb 13.PLoS One. 2013.PMID:23418430Free PMC article.Clinical Trial.
- APOE4 disrupts intracellular lipid homeostasis in human iPSC-derived glia.Sienski G, Narayan P, Bonner JM, Kory N, Boland S, Arczewska AA, Ralvenius WT, Akay L, Lockshin E, He L, Milo B, Graziosi A, Baru V, Lewis CA, Kellis M, Sabatini DM, Tsai LH, Lindquist S.Sienski G, et al.Sci Transl Med. 2021 Mar 3;13(583):eaaz4564. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz4564.Sci Transl Med. 2021.PMID:33658354Free PMC article.
- Impact of sex andAPOE ε4 on age-related cerebral perfusion trajectories in cognitively asymptomatic middle-aged and older adults: A longitudinal study.Wang R, Oh JM, Motovylyak A, Ma Y, Sager MA, Rowley HA, Johnson KM, Gallagher CL, Carlsson CM, Bendlin BB, Johnson SC, Asthana S, Eisenmenger L, Okonkwo OC.Wang R, et al.J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Nov;41(11):3016-3027. doi: 10.1177/0271678X211021313. Epub 2021 Jun 8.J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021.PMID:34102919Free PMC article.
- Alzheimer's disease phenotype based upon the carrier status of the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele.Ji XY, Peng XY, Tang HL, Pan H, Wang WT, Wu J, Chen J, Wei NL.Ji XY, et al.Brain Pathol. 2024 Jan;34(1):e13208. doi: 10.1111/bpa.13208. Epub 2023 Aug 30.Brain Pathol. 2024.PMID:37646624Free PMC article.Review.
- 1H MR spectroscopy biomarkers of neuronal and synaptic function are associated with tau deposition in cognitively unimpaired older adults.Kara F, Joers JM, Deelchand DK, Park YW, Przybelski SA, Lesnick TG, Senjem ML, Zeydan B, Knopman DS, Lowe VJ, Vemuri P, Mielke MM, Machulda MM, Jack CR, Petersen RC, Öz G, Kantarci K.Kara F, et al.Neurobiol Aging. 2022 Apr;112:16-26. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.12.010. Epub 2022 Jan 5.Neurobiol Aging. 2022.PMID:35038671Free PMC article.
References
- Allen EA, Erhardt EB, Damaraju E, Gruner W, Segall JM, Silva RF, Havlicek M, Rachakonda S, Fries J, Kalyanam R, Michael AM, Caprihan A, Turner JA, Eichele T, Adelsheim S, Bryan AD, Bustillo J, Clark VP, Feldstein Ewing SW, Filbey F, et al. A baseline for the multivariate comparison of resting state networks. Front Syst Neurosci. 2011;5:2. - PMC - PubMed
- Ashburner J, Friston KJ. Voxel-based morphometry–the methods. Neuroimage. 2000;11:805–821. - PubMed
- Biswal BB, Mennes M, Zuo XN, Gohel S, Kelly C, Smith SM, Beckmann CF, Adelstein JS, Buckner RL, Colcombe S, Dogonowski AM, Ernst M, Fair D, Hampson M, Hoptman MJ, Hyde JS, Kiviniemi VJ, Kötter R, Li SJ, Lin CP, et al. Toward discovery science of human brain function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010;107:4734–4739. - PMC - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Related information
Grants and funding
- UL1 TR000117/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States
- P01 AG019724/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- R01 AG032306/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- R01 AG032289/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- AG032306/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- P30 AG019610/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- UL1 TR001998/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States
- U01 AG024904/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- U19 AG010483/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- R01 NS073498/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States
- CAPMC/ CIHR/Canada
- P30 AG013846/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- NS073498/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous