Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Generalized Psychophysiological Interaction (PPI) Analysis of Memory Related Connectivity in Individuals at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: November 14, 2017
Interactive effects of apolipoprotein E type 4 genotype and cerebrovascular risk on neuropsychological performance
David Zade1, Alexa Beiser, Regina McGlinchey
1Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Medical Center, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA. david.zade@gmail.com
Objective:
We sought to determine whether the presence of the apolipoprotein E type 4 (apoE4) allele, a known risk factor for Alzheimer disease, interacts with cerebrovascular risk factors to produce a disproportionate impairment in neuropsychological (NP) performance and alterations in structural morphometry as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods:
In all, 1995 participants from the community-based Framingham Offspring Cohort participants (mean age 61 years; 1063 women) underwent NP testing and structural MRI in 1999 to 2002. Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate the relationships among Framingham Stroke Risk Profile scores, NP variables, and MRI measures; interaction terms were included to examine modification of these relationships by the presence of the apoE4 allele. All analyses were cross sectional.
Results:
We found significant interactions between the presence of the apoE4 allele and the top sex-specific quartile of the stroke risk profile and their effects on verbal memory (P
Conclusion:
The apoE4 allele exacerbates the effects of cerebrovascular risk factors on NP function. This relationship appears to be driven by SBP, suggesting that treatment of high SBP could potentially reduce risk of cognitive impairment among those already at increased risk for Alzheimer disease.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Pharmacogenetic Phenotypes: Alterations in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Targets and Biologic Milieu
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Dementia l: Introduction

