Genes and age reveal new insights into cognitive variability, study finds

By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDMay 16 2024Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine explores the effect of specific genes and age on cognition. The researchers discuss the potential utility of their findings in creating genotype- and cognition-stratified cohorts available for future epidemiological and interventional studies.

This motivated the current study, which comprised individuals who can be followed up over long periods to elucidate the development of, and possibly the effects of drugs on, dementia. G4 reflects a summary measure incorporating short-term memory, fluid, and crystallized intelligence, whereas G6 is a measure summarizing reaction time, attention, processing speed, and executive functioning. The genetic background for both G4 and G6 was used to identify new genetic loci that affected cognitive status throughout an individual’s life.

Gender accounted for 0.1-1.33% of the variance in cognitive performance, indicating that both sexes experience similar types and degrees of cognitive decline over time. G4 and G6 accounted for most of the variance in each test. Functional mapping of G4-associated genes identified genes involved in microglia-mediated immunological pathways in cognitive impairment in the elderly. For G6, glycogen branching enzyme 1 , which is a gene involved in glycogen metabolism, was associated with cognition, thus indicating its role in general cognitive ability.

Genetic Dementia Drugs Education Efficacy Genome Medicine Neurodegeneration Neurodegenerative Diseases Phenotype Preclinical Therapeutics

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