Sex moderates apolipoprotein E ε4 effects on sleep expression and memory retention
Summary
Sex influences how apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) status affects sleep and memory. Female APOE ε4 carriers showed less overnight memory forgetting, suggesting sex-specific sleep mechanisms related to Alzheimer's disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Sleep-dependent memory consolidation varies by sex and can be impacted by Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk.
- The moderating role of sex in the relationship between apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) status, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and memory is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how sex and APOE ε4 status interact to influence sleep-dependent memory consolidation in cognitively unimpaired older adults.
Main Methods:
- Eighty cognitively unimpaired older adults underwent a word-pair memory task.
- Overnight polysomnography with high-density electroencephalography (hdEEG) was used to assess sleep.
- Delayed recall was measured after sleep, with analyses examining associations with sex and APOE ε4 status.
Main Results:
- A significant sex × APOE ε4 interaction was observed for overnight memory retention.
- Female APOE ε4 carriers exhibited less overnight forgetting compared to female non-carriers and male APOE ε4 carriers.
- NREM sleep patterns differed by sex and APOE ε4 status and were linked to memory retention in APOE ε4 carriers.
Conclusions:
- Sex-specific sleep-dependent memory mechanisms are associated with genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
- Sleep may represent an early therapeutic target for cognitive interventions, particularly in individuals at genetic risk for AD.
- Further research in larger cohorts is needed to confirm these findings.
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