Episodic memory and cortical amyloid pathology: PET study in cognitively discordant twin pairs

Highlights

• We studied cortical amyloid – episodic memory association in twin pairs

• Cognitively discordant twin pairs were identified using telephone interview

• 45 twin pairs participated in PET imaging and in-person neuropsychological testing

• Within-twin pair differences in amyloid and memory were associated with each other

• Higher amyloid is related to poorer memory even when controlling for genetic effects

Abstract

We studied the association between episodic memory and cortical fibrillar β-amyloid pathology within twin pairs. Using telephone-administered cognitive screening of 1415 twin pairs in a population-based older Finnish Twin Cohort study, we identified 45 (mean [SD] age 72.9 [4.0] years, 40% women) cognitively discordant same-sex twin pairs (24 dizygotic and 21 monozygotic) without neurological or psychiatric disorders other than AD or mild cognitive impairment. In-person neuropsychological testing was conducted. Cortical amyloid was measured with carbon 11-labelled Pittsburgh compound B ([¹¹C]PiB) positron emission tomography imaging and quantified as the average standardized uptake value ratio in cortical regions affected in AD. Larger within-twin pair differences in verbal immediate (r = -0.42) and delayed free recall (r = -0.41), and visual delayed free recall (r = -0.46) were associated with larger within-twin pair differences in [¹¹C]PiB uptake (p’s < 0.01). Correlations were not significantly different in dizygotic and monozygotic pairs suggesting that the episodic memory-cortical amyloid relationship is not confounded by genetic effects. However, larger samples are needed to draw more definitive conclusions.