Table 1.
Demographics and descriptive data of the APOE ε4 homozygotes, heterozygotes, and non-carriers included in the study
| APOE ε4ε4 | APOE ε4ε3 | APOE ε3ε3 | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 18 | 21 | 20 | |
| Age (y), mean (SD) | 67.3 (4.74) | 67.3 (4.90) | 68.3 (4.55) | 0.75 |
| Sex (M/F), n(%) | 7/12 (37/63) | 7/14 (33/67) | 8/12 (40/60) | 0.91 |
| Education, n (%) | 0.37 | |||
| Primary school | 7 (37) | 4 (19) | 7 (35) | |
| Middle or comprehensive school | 4 (21) | 4 (19) | 3 (15) | |
| High school | 7 (37) | 6 (29) | 7 (35) | |
| College or university | 1 (5) | 7 (33) | 3 (15) | |
| MMSE, median (IQR) | 28 (27–29) | 29 (28–30) * | 29 (27–30) | 0.039 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 26.6 (4.48) | 26.7 (3.46) | 27.3 (4.96) | 0.86 |
| Serum NfL pg/ml, mean (SD) | 21.1 (9.34)* | 17.8 (7.19) | 15.5 (3.83) | 0.011 |
| Plasma NTA, median (IQR) | 0.1 (0.03–0.24) | 0.1 (0.049–0.18) | 0.14 (0.05–0.25) | 0.65 |
| Plasma t-tau, mean (SD) | 1.48 (0.75) | 1.52 (0.53) | 1.46 (0.55) | 0.52 |
| Plasma GFAP, median (IQR) | 186 (124–269) | 150 (104–170) | 128 (105–147) | 0.077 |
| [11C]PIB composite SUVR, median (IQR) | 2.13(1.61–2.83) | 1.55 (1.43–2.02)* | 1.47 (1.38–1.66)* | 0.0024 |
| WMH (ml), median (IQR) | 4.37 (2.58–10.45) | 4.70 (3.06–5.97) | 3.92 (1.89–8.71) | 0.36 |
| Medial temporal atrophy score, median (IQR) | 0.08 (0–0.76) | 0.09 (0–0.35) | 0.01 (0–0.36) | 0.53 |
| Global cortical atrophy score, median (IQR) | 0.12 (1.67e − 7–1.12) | 0.05 (1.67e − 7–0.28) | 0.04 (1.67e − 7–0.34) | 0.52 |
| Hippocampus volume (ml), mean (SD) | 6.62 (0.92) | 7.02 (0.79) | 7.27 (0.70)* | 0.041 |
| Entorhinal volume (ml), mean (SD) | 4.23 (0.65) | 4.47 (0.38) | 4.52 (0.36) | 0.13 |
| Parahippocampal volume (ml), mean (SD) | 5.50 (0.71) | 5.8 (0.52) | 5.89 (0.60) | 0.12 |
Data are presented as mean (standard deviation) or median (interquartile range) depending on the distribution. Differences between groups were tested with one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s honest significance test, or Kruskal-Wallis test with Steel-Dwass method for multiple comparisons for continuous variables. χ2 test was used for testing categorical variables. P-value presents overall difference between groups. Significant differences in pairwise comparisons to APOE ε4ε4 homozygotes (*) are also presented. Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; MMSE, mini-mental state examination; SUVR, standardized uptake value ratio; Serum NfL, Neurofilament light; Plasma NTA, N-terminal tau; Plasma t-tau, Quanterix total tau; Plasma GFAP, Glial fibrillary acidic protein; WMH, volumes of white matter hyperintensities