Regional Differences in Effects of <i>APOE</i> ε4 on Cognitive Impairment in Non-Demented Subjects

<i>Background:</i> The <i>APOE</i> ε4 allele is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). <i>APOE</i> ε4 is common in non-demented subjects with cognitive impairment. In both healthy people and people with AD, its prevalence has a north-south gradient across Europe. In the present study, we investigated whether the relation between the <i>APOE</i> ε4 allele and cognitive impairment varied across Northern, Middle and Southern Europe. We also investigated whether a north-south gradient existed in subjects with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and non-amnestic MCI. <i>Methods:</i> Data from 16 centers across Europe were analyzed. <i>Results:</i> A north-south gradient in <i>APOE</i> ε4 prevalence existed in the total sample (62.7% for <i>APOE</i> ε4 carriers in the northern region, 42.1% in the middle region, and 31.5% in the southern region) and in subjects with SCI and amnestic MCI separately. Only in Middle Europe was the <i>APOE</i> ε4 allele significantly associated with poor performance on tests of delayed recall and learning, as well as with the amnestic subtype of MCI. <i>Conclusion:</i> The <i>APOE</i> ε4 allele frequencies in subjects with SCI and amnestic MCI have a north-south gradient. The relation between the <i>APOE</i> ε4 allele and cognition is region dependent.