Influence of APOE Genotype on Whole-Brain Functional Networks in Cognitively Normal Elderly

This study aimed to investigate the influence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 allele on whole-brain functional networks in cognitively normal (CN) elderly by applying graph theoretical analysis to brain glucose metabolism. Eighty-six CN elderly [28 APOE e4 carriers (e4+) and 58 non-carriers (e4-)] underwent clinical evaluation and resting [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan. Whole-brain functional networks were constructed from correlations of the 90 regions of interest using the automated anatomical labeling template, and analyzed using graph theoretical approaches. The overall small-world property seen in e4- was preserved in e4+. However, both local clustering and path length were lower in e4+ compared to e4-. In terms of the hubs of functional networks, e4+ showed decreased centrality of the right hippocampus but increased centrality of several brain regions associated with the default mode network compared to e4-. Our results indicate that genetic vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease may alter whole-brain functional networks even before clinical symptoms appear.