APOE ε4 allele is associated with worse performance in memory dimensions of the mini-mental state examination: the Bambui Cohort Study of Aging

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon 4 and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) dimension in an elderly population, using baseline data from the Bambui (Brazil) Cohort Study of Aging. Design: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study. Setting: The study took place at Bambui city, Minas Gerais State, Southeast Brazil. Participants: A total of 1408 (87.7%) cohort participants had complete information on the MMSE and health measures. Measurements: The association between each of five dimensions (concentration, language/praxis, orientation, attention, and memory) underlying the MMSE and APOE epsilon 4 allele was assessed using multivariate linear regression models. Potential confounding variables included sociodemographic factors and selected biomarkers. Results: The main finding is a strong negative association between the presence of APOE epsilon 4 allele and memory dimension in the MMSE (fully adjusted beta coefficient = -0.14; 95% confidence interval: -0.27 to -0.04; p = 0.016). No other cognitive dimensions showed significant associations with the APOE epsilon 4 allele. Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate the association between dimensions of the MMSE, obtained from principal component analysis and APOE epsilon 4 carrier status in community-dwelling older adults taking into account a range of potential confounding factors. We found a strong negative association between the presence of APOE epsilon 4 allele and scores on memory dimension of the MMSE, but no effect on other dimensions. Our results reinforce previous data on the literature that APOE epsilon 4 allele has a significant effect on cognitive performance that can be detected even in screening tests, such as the MMSE. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.