Date:

January 25, 2018

Source:

University of Eastern Finland

Summary:

Enhanced lifestyle counselling prevents cognitive decline
even in people who are carriers of the APOE4 gene, a common risk factor of
Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.

Enhanced lifestyle counselling prevents cognitive decline
even in people who are carriers of the APOE4 gene, a common risk factor of
Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology.

The two-year FINGER trial involved 60-77 year-old people
living in Finland and with risk factors for memory disorders. The study
participants were divided into two groups: one of the groups was given regular
lifestyle counselling and the other enhanced lifestyle counselling. Enhanced
counselling involved nutrition counselling, physical and cognitive exercises,
and support in managing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Earlier findings from the FINGER trial have shown that
the regular lifestyle counselling group had a significantly increased risk of
cognitive and functional impairment compared to the intervention group, i.e.
the group receiving enhanced counselling.

Now the researchers analysed whether the presence of the
APOE4 gene affected the intervention results. The analysis included 1,109
persons of whom 362 were carriers of the APOE4 gene. The findings show that
enhanced lifestyle counselling prevented cognitive decline despite the presence
of the risk gene. Analyses carried out within the groups also indicate that the
intervention results might even be better in carriers of the APOE4 gene.

“Many people worry that genetic risk factors for
dementia may thwart potential benefits from healthy lifestyle changes. We were
very happy to see that this was not the case in our intervention, which was
started early, before the onset of substantial cognitive impairment,” says
Adjunct Professor Alina Solomon, the lead author of the study.

Professor Miia Kivipelto, the principal investigator of
the FINGER trial, adds: “The FINGER intervention model is now being
adapted and tested globally in the World Wide FINGERS initiative. New clinical
trials in diverse populations with a variety of geographical and cultural
backgrounds will help us formulate global dementia prevention strategies.”

The study was carried out in collaboration between the
University of Eastern Finland, the Finnish National Institute for Health and
Welfare, the University of Helsinki, the University of Oulu, and Karolinska
Institutet in Sweden.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Eastern Finland.
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Journal Reference:

                1              Alina Solomon, Heidi Turunen, Tiia
Ngandu, Markku Peltonen, Esko Levälahti, Seppo Helisalmi, Riitta Antikainen,
Lars Bäckman, Tuomo Hänninen, Antti Jula, Tiina Laatikainen, Jenni Lehtisalo,
Jaana Lindström, Teemu Paajanen, Satu Pajala, Anna Stigsdotter-Neely, Timo
Strandberg, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Hilkka Soininen, Miia Kivipelto. Effect of the
Apolipoprotein E Genotype on Cognitive Change During a Multidomain Lifestyle
Intervention. JAMA Neurology, 2018; DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.4365