Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests that social networks may protect against the development of dementia among older adults. In this study we analysed the association between social networks, the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, and dementia. We also investigated whether there were gender-specific patterns in this respect.Method: The analyses used population-based longitudinal data from Gothenburg, Sweden: the H70 Birth Cohort Study and the Prospective Population Study on Women (PPSW). A total of 580 individuals born in 1930 underwent semi-structured neuropsychiatric examinations in 2000-2001. Follow-up examinations were carried out in 2005-2006 and 2009-2010. The timing of dementia onset was analysed using Cox proportional hazards regression.Results: The presence of the APOE ε4 allele affected the risk of developing dementia in both genders. Among women, distant social networks had a protective effect on dementia, while among men the significant associations between close social networks and dementia did not remain after controlling for covariates. Significant interactions between social networks and the APOE ε4 allele were not found.Conclusion: Strong social networks do not seem to moderate the increased risk of dementia implied by the APOE ε4 allele. Nevertheless, our results underline the importance of strong social networks in postponing dementia onset and indicate that their impact may differ among men and women.

中文翻译：

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社交网络和APOEε4对老年人痴呆症的影响：可能相互作用的测试。

目标：新兴证据表明，社交网络可以预防老年人痴呆症的发展。在这项研究中，我们分析了社交网络，载脂蛋白E（APOE）ε4等位基因与痴呆之间的关联。方法：该分析使用了瑞典哥德堡基于人口的纵向数据：H70出生队列研究和女性前瞻性人口研究（PPSW）。在1930年出生的580名患者在2000-2001年接受了半结构性神经精神病学检查。在2005-2006年和2009-2010年进行了后续检查。结果：使用APOEε4等位基因的存在影响了男女患痴呆症的风险。在女性中，遥远的社交网络对痴呆有保护作用，而在男性中，控制协变量后，紧密的社交网络与痴呆之间的重要联系并没有保留。未发现社交网络与APOEε4等位基因之间存在显着相互作用。结论：强大的社交网络似乎并不能缓解APOEε4等位基因暗示的痴呆风险增加。然而，我们的结果强调了强大的社交网络在推迟痴呆症发作中的重要性，并表明其影响在男女之间可能有所不同。未发现社交网络与APOEε4等位基因之间存在显着相互作用。结论：强大的社交网络似乎并不能缓解APOEε4等位基因暗示的痴呆风险增加。然而，我们的结果强调了强大的社交网络在推迟痴呆症发作中的重要性，并表明其影响在男女之间可能有所不同。未发现社交网络与APOEε4等位基因之间存在显着相互作用。结论：强大的社交网络似乎并不能缓解APOEε4等位基因暗示的痴呆风险增加。然而，我们的结果强调了强大的社交网络在推迟痴呆症发作中的重要性，并表明其影响在男女之间可能有所不同。