Patients with Alzheimer's disease who carry the APOE ε4 allele benefit more from physical exercise

Abstract Introduction Our group has completed an exercise study of 200 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. We found improvements in cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and physical measures in the participants who adhered to the protocol. Epidemiological studies in healthy elderly suggest that exe...

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Main Authors: Camilla Steen Jensen, Anja Hviid Simonsen, Volkert Siersma, Nina Beyer, Kristian Steen Frederiksen, Hanne Gottrup, Kristine Hoffman, Peter Høgh, Ruth Frikke‐Schmidt, Nanna Aue Sobol, Gunhild Waldemar, Lene Wermuth, Steen Gregers Hasselbalch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trci.2019.02.007
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Summary:Abstract Introduction Our group has completed an exercise study of 200 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. We found improvements in cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and physical measures in the participants who adhered to the protocol. Epidemiological studies in healthy elderly suggest that exercise preserves cognitive and physical abilities to a higher extent in APOE ε4 carriers. Methods In this post hoc subgroup analysis study, we investigated whether the beneficial effect of an exercise intervention in patients with mild AD was dependent on the patients' APOE genotype. Results We found that patients who were APOE ε4 carriers benefitted more from the exercise intervention by preservation of cognitive performance and improvement in physical measures. Discussion This exploratory study establishes a possible connection between the beneficial effects of exercise in AD and the patients' APOE genotype. These findings, if validated, could greatly impact the clinical management of patients with AD and those at risk for developing AD.
ISSN:2352-8737