Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Lee, B. K. Articles by Schwartz, B. S. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Lee, B. K. Articles by Schwartz, B. S. Alzheimer's Disease Stress Genetics Cognition Related Article

Apolipoprotein E Genotype, Cortisol, and Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Elevated cortisol indicates stress and may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in aging. Genetic factors may influence individual vulnerability to the adverse effects of stress on cognitive function in aging. METHOD: The authors investigated whether the gene-environment interaction between the genotype for the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) and cortisol predicted cognitive performance in older urban adults. Cross-sectional data were analyzed from a population-based sample of 50–70-year-old men and women. Cognitive performance, salivary cortisol levels, and APOE genotype were assessed in 962 subjects. Scores on 20 standard cognitive tests were combined into seven domain scores (language, processing speed, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning, verbal memory and learning, visual memory and learning, visuoconstruction). RESULTS: In adjusted models, while a higher cortisol level was associated with worse cognitive scores, the slopes of the adverse relations were steeper in persons with at least one APOE-4 allele. Effect sizes were large: for example, the effect of having one 4 allele plus a cortisol area under the curve greater than the 75th percentile was equivalent to a decrease in language score expected from an age increase of 8.0 years (95% confidence interval=1.7–14.4), while having two 4 alleles and a cortisol area under the curve greater than the 75th percentile was equivalent to an age increase of 33.4 years (95% CI=14.8–52.0). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that APOE genotype modifies cortisol’s relations with cognitive functioning and that the 4 allele increases vulnerability of the aging brain to adverse effects of stress.

Related Article:

In this Issue
Am J Psychiatry 2008 165: A52. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Feng, J. Li, K.-B. Yap, E.-H. Kua, and T.-P. Ng Vitamin B-12, apolipoprotein E genotype, and cognitive performance in community-living older adults: evidence of a gene-micronutrient interaction Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2009; 89(4): 1263 - 1268. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. M. Peavy The Effects of Stress and APOE Genotype on Cognition in Older Adults Am J Psychiatry, November 1, 2008; 165(11): 1376 - 1378. [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2008 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us