Genetic polymorphism in BIN1 rather than APOE is associated with poor recognition memory among men without dementia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk is linked to genetic polymorphisms, but their effect on cognition in healthy individuals is less understood.
• The bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) gene variant rs744373 is a significant genetic risk factor for AD, second only to APOE ε4.
• Investigating genetic impacts on cognition in non-demented populations is crucial for early detection and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between the BIN1 rs744373 genetic variant and cognitive performance in non-demented older men.
• To compare the predictive power of BIN1 rs744373 on cognitive domains against the well-established APOE ε4 allele.

Main Methods:

• Cognitive function was assessed using the CogState Brief Battery in a cohort of non-demented older men.
• The battery evaluated four cognitive domains: psychomotor function, visual attention, recognition memory, and working memory.
• Linear regression analysis was employed to determine the relationship between genetic variants (BIN1 and APOE ε4) and cognitive performance.

Main Results:

• Individuals carrying the BIN1 risk allele demonstrated poorer performance on recognition memory tasks compared to non-carriers.
• Conversely, individuals with the APOE ε4 risk allele showed enhanced performance on recognition memory tasks relative to non-carriers.
• This study is the first to indicate that genetic variation in BIN1 may be a more potent predictor of recognition memory than APOE ε4.

Conclusions:

• The BIN1 rs744373 variant is associated with impaired recognition memory in cognitively healthy older men.
• BIN1 rs744373 appears to be a stronger predictor of recognition memory deficits than the APOE ε4 allele in this population.
• These findings highlight the potential role of BIN1 in cognitive function and suggest its utility in predicting memory performance relevant to Alzheimer's disease risk.