Link to Recorded Presentations
Department
Psychology & Family Studies
Format of Presentation
Asynchronous
Research Category
Health Sciences
Description
Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been linked with Alzheimer’s disease; specifically having two copies of the APOE ε4 allele greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in older age. Studies have attempted to relate an antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis to this gene, i.e., the ε4 allele has positive effects on cognition and memory in early life and negative effects later in life. Many of these studies have had several limitations and conflicting results, such as testing adults in upper middle age or comparing the absence of the ε4 allele with the presence of at least one ε4 allele. Studies showed that having two copies of the ε4 allele has the highest risk of developing Alzheimer’s in older age, comparing the presence of one ε4 versus none skews the results. Testing older adults does not allow for proper conclusions about the antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis. The objective of this study is to determine if the APOE ε4 allele has an effect on cognition and memory before the onset of Alzheimer’s when compared to other variants of the APOE gene. We will use reliable methods to test attention, memory, and executive function in all variants of the APOE gene (ε2ε2, ε3ε3, ε3ε4, and ε4ε4) in healthy adults with an age range of 18-30. The results of this study will offer a better understanding of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and allow for more in-depth studies on progression with two copies of the APOE ε4 allele.
Recommended Citation
Hollis, Annie, "Antagonistic Pleiotropy in Alzheimer's Disease" (2023). Undergraduate Research Conference. 2.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2023/social-sciences-i/2
Antagonistic Pleiotropy in Alzheimer's Disease
Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been linked with Alzheimer’s disease; specifically having two copies of the APOE ε4 allele greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in older age. Studies have attempted to relate an antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis to this gene, i.e., the ε4 allele has positive effects on cognition and memory in early life and negative effects later in life. Many of these studies have had several limitations and conflicting results, such as testing adults in upper middle age or comparing the absence of the ε4 allele with the presence of at least one ε4 allele. Studies showed that having two copies of the ε4 allele has the highest risk of developing Alzheimer’s in older age, comparing the presence of one ε4 versus none skews the results. Testing older adults does not allow for proper conclusions about the antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis. The objective of this study is to determine if the APOE ε4 allele has an effect on cognition and memory before the onset of Alzheimer’s when compared to other variants of the APOE gene. We will use reliable methods to test attention, memory, and executive function in all variants of the APOE gene (ε2ε2, ε3ε3, ε3ε4, and ε4ε4) in healthy adults with an age range of 18-30. The results of this study will offer a better understanding of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and allow for more in-depth studies on progression with two copies of the APOE ε4 allele.