Interaction between Alcohol Consumption and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) Genotype with Cognition in Middle-Aged Men

Objective: Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with poorer cognitive function in older adults. Although understudied in middle-aged adults, the relationship between alcohol and cognition may also be influenced by genetics such as the apolipoprotein (ApoE) epsilon 4 allele, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. We examined the relationship between alcohol consumption, ApoE genotype, and cognition in middle-aged adults and hypothesized that light and/or moderate drinkers (<= 2 drinks per day) would show better cognitive performance than heavy drinkers or non-drinkers. Additionally, we hypothesized that the association between alcohol use and cognitive function would differ by ApoE genotype (epsilon 4+ vs. epsilon 4-). Method: Participants were 1266 men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA; M age = 56; range 51-60) who completed a neuropsychological battery assessing seven cognitive abilities: general cognitive ability (GCA), episodic memory, processing speed, executive function, abstract reasoning, verbal fluency, and visuospatial ability. Alcohol consumption was categorized into five groups: never, former, light, moderate, and heavy. Results: In fully adjusted models, there was no significant main effect of alcohol consumption on cognitive functions. However, there was a significant interaction between alcohol consumption and ApoE epsilon 4 status for GCA and episodic memory, such that the relationship of alcohol consumption and cognition was stronger in epsilon 4 carriers. The epsilon 4+ heavy drinking subgroup had the poorest GCA and episodic memory. Conclusions: Presence of the epsilon 4 allele may increase vulnerability to the deleterious effects of heavy alcohol consumption. Beneficial effects of light or moderate alcohol consumption were not observed.

Automated summary

The study found that there was no significant difference in cognitive performance between moderate drinkers and non-drinkers or heavy drinkers. However, there was a significant interaction between alcohol consumption and ApoE ε4 status, indicating a stronger relationship between alcohol consumption and cognition in ε4 carriers.