The ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein (APOE) gene is a widely recognized genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease in older age. However, it is controversial whether there is a positive impact of the APOE ε4 allele on human cognitive performance in young adulthood, possibly representing a case of antagonistic pleiotropy. Here we explored associations of the APOE ε4 allele with cognitive ability in young adulthood. In contrast to previous studies, we used structural equation modeling that allows a multivariate measurement of the cognitive phenotype. Results based on four independent samples (N1 = 245; N2 = 300; N3 = 244; N4 = 206) overall revealed a complex effect of the APOE ε4 genotype on cognitive ability in young adulthood: Whereas the ε4 allele tends to be negatively associated with cognitive performance in individuals with lower education levels, there might be a weak positive association in persons with higher education-a finding that is partly in line with the antagonistic pleiotropy view on APOE and cognitive ability. The education-related findings support protective effects of environmental factors.

中文翻译：

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年轻的APOEε4携带者的认知能力：评估基因型与表型关系的潜在变量方法。

载脂蛋白（APOE）基因的ε4等位基因是公认的老年痴呆症遗传危险因素。但是，APOEε4等位基因是否对年轻人成年后的人类认知能力产生积极影响是有争议的，这可能代表拮抗多效性的情况。在这里，我们探讨了成年后APOEε4等位基因与认知能力的关系。与以前的研究相比，我们使用了结构方程模型，该模型允许对认知表型进行多变量测量。基于四个独立样本的结果（N1 = 245； N2 = 300； N3 = 244； N4 = 206）总体上显示，APOEε4基因型对成年青年的认知能力具有复杂的影响：ε4等位基因往往与较低文化程度的人的认知表现呈负相关，而较高文化程度的人可能有较弱的正联想，这一发现部分与对APOE和认知能力的对抗性多效性观点一致。与教育有关的发现支持环境因素的保护作用。