Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Evaluating the Function of the Foot Core System in the Elderly
Published on: March 11, 2022
Functional segregation loss over time is moderated by APOE genotype in healthy elderly
Kwun Kei Ng1, Yingwei Qiu1,2, June Chi-Yan Lo1
1Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Programme, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore, 169857, Singapore.
Abstract:
We investigated the influence of the apolipoprotein E-ɛ4 allele (APOE-ɛ4) on longitudinal age-related changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) and cognition, in view of mixed cross-sectional findings. One hundred and twenty-two healthy older adults (aged 58-79; 25 APOE-ɛ4 carriers) underwent task-free fMRI scans at baseline. Seventy-eight (16 carriers) had at least one follow-up (every 2 years). Changes in intra- and internetwork FCs among the default mode (DMN), executive control (ECN), and salience (SN) networks, as well as cognition, were quantified using linear mixed models. Cross-sectionally, APOE-ɛ4 carriers had lower functional connectivity between the ECN and SN than noncarriers. Carriers also showed a stronger age-dependent decrease in visuospatial memory performance. Longitudinally, carriers had steeper increase in inter-ECN-DMN FC, indicating loss of functional segregation. The longitudinal change in processing speed performance was not moderated by APOE-ɛ4 genotype, but the brain-cognition association was. In younger elderly, faster loss of segregation was correlated with greater decline in processing speed regardless of genotype. In older elderly, such relation remained for noncarriers but reversed for carriers. APOE-ɛ4 may alter aging by accelerating the change in segregation between high-level cognitive systems. Its modulation on the longitudinal brain-cognition relationship was age-dependent.
Related Concept Videos
Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions
When the tumor suppressor genes develop mutations or are lost, cells start growing out of control, leading to cancer. However, a single functional copy of the tumor suppressor gene is enough for the cells to maintain their normal functions and cell...
Law of Segregation
Line Loss
Line loss impacts power delivery efficiency in a balanced three-phase circuit. The symmetry in such a circuit simplifies the...
Segregation in Fresh Concrete
Reducing Line Loss
With a step-up transformer at the source, the voltage is increased, thereby reducing the current in the transmission lines since power loss in...
Major Losses in Pipes
Fluid flow can be classified as laminar or turbulent, primarily based on the Reynolds number. This dimensionless number reflects the relative influence of inertial to viscous...

