BDNF and KIBRA Polymorphisms Are Related to Altered Resting State Network Connectivity in Middle Age.

Background: Disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be more successful if interventions occur early, prior to significant neurodegeneration and subsequent to the onset of clinical symptoms, potentially during middle age. Polymorphisms within BDNF, COMT, and KIBRA have been implicated in AD and relate to episodic memory and executive functioning, two domains that decline early in AD.

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to use an endophenotype approach to examine in healthy, non-demented middle-aged adults the association between polymorphisms in BDNF, COMT, and KIBRA and functional connectivity within networks related to episodic memory and executive function (i.

Brain-behavior investigation of potential cognitive markers of Alzheimer's disease in middle age: a multi-modal imaging study.

Early detection of Alzheimer's disease remains a challenge, and the development and validation of novel cognitive markers of Alzheimer's disease is critical to earlier disease detection. The goal of the present study is to examine brain-behavior relationships of translational cognitive paradigms dependent on the medial temporal lobes and prefrontal cortices, regions that are first to undergo Alzheimer's-associated changes. We employed multi-modal structural and functional MRI to examine brain-behavior relationships in a healthy, middle-aged sample (N = 133; 40-60 years).

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Alzheimer's Disease Risk Genes Are Associated with Intrinsic Connectivity in Middle Age.

Background: It is critical to identify individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) earlier in the disease time course, such as middle age and preferably well prior to the onset of clinical symptoms, when intervention efforts may be more successful. Genome-wide association and candidate gene studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in APOE, CLU, CR1, PICALM, and SORL1 that confer increased risk of AD.

Objective: In the current study, we investigated the associations between SNPs in these genes and resting-state functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and executive control network (ECN) in healthy, non-demented middle-aged adults (age 40 -60; N = 123; 74 females).

Genetic Risk for Age-Related Cognitive Impairment Does Not Predict Cognitive Performance in Middle Age.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory loss and executive dysfunction, which correspond to structural changes to the medial temporal lobes (MTL) and prefrontal cortex (PFC), respectively. Given the overlap in cognitive deficits between healthy aging and the earliest stages of AD, early detection of AD remains a challenge. The goal of the present study was to study MTL- and PFC-dependent cognitive functioning in middle-aged individuals at genetic risk for AD or cognitive impairment who do not currently manifest any clinical symptoms.