Accelerated memory decline in Alzheimer's disease with apolipoprotein ε4 allele

To investigate a possible effect of the apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 allele on memory decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD), we examined 64 AD patients with the APOE ε3/3, ε3/4, or ε4/4 allele using the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) and its subtests at the initial examination and at the 1-year follow-up visit. One-year changes in the scores of the Word Recall subtest, Word Recognition subtest, and total ADAS-Cog were significantly correlated with the number of APOE ε4 alleles after controlling for the effects of age, sex, education, test interval, and baseline scores. Findings revealed that APOE ε4 allele is related to an accelerated memory decline in AD.