151. Distinct patterns of brain activity in young carriers of the APOE-[epsilon]4 allele
- Author
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Filippini, Nicola, MacIntosh, Bradley J., Hough, Morgan G., Goodwin, Guy M., Frisoni, Giovanni B., Smith, Stephen M., Matthews, Paul M., Beckmann, Christian F., and Mackay, Clare E.
- Subjects
Allelomorphism -- Physiological aspects ,Hippocampus (Brain) -- Genetic aspects ,Neural circuitry -- Genetic aspects ,Science and technology - Abstract
The APOE [epsilon]4 allele is a risk factor for late-life pathological changes that is also associated with anatomical and functional brain changes in middle-aged and elderly healthy subjects. We investigated structural and functional effects of the APOE polymorphism in 18 young healthy APOE [epsilon]4-carriers and 18 matched noncarriers (age range: 20-35 years). Brain activity was studied both at rest and during an encoding memory paradigm using blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI. Resting fMRI revealed increased 'default mode network' (involving retrosplenial, medial temporal, and medial-prefrontal cortical areas) coactivation in [epsilon]4-carriers relative to noncarriers. The encoding task produced greater hippocampal activation in [epsilon]4-carriers relative to noncarriers. Neither result could be explained by differences in memory performance, brain morphology, or resting cerebral blood flow. The APOE [epsilon]4 allele modulates brain function decades before any clinical or neurophysiological expression of neurodegenerative processes. hippocampus | memory | neuroimaging | resting connectivity
- Published
- 2009