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While the evidence of an association between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) *E4 allele and Alzheimer's disease is very strong, the effect of the *E4 allele on cognitive decline in the general population is more equivocal. A cross-sectional study on the lifespan effects of the *E4 allele [1] failed to find any effect of the *E4 allele on cognitive performance at ages 20–24, 40–44 or 60–64 years.
Methods
In this four year follow-up study, we reexamine the effect of *E4 in the sample of 2,021 individuals, now aged 65–69 years.
Results
Performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was significantly poorer for *E4 homozygotes than heterozygotes or non-carriers. The effects of the *E4 genotype on cognitive decline over four years were found on the MMSE and Symbol-Digit Modalities test but only when controlling for risk factors such as head injury and education. Analyses were repeated with the exclusion of participants diagnosed with a mild cognitive disorder, with little change.
