APOE Genotype, ApoE Plasma Levels, Lipid Metabolism, and Cognition in Monozygotic Twins with, at Risk of, and without Affective Disorders

Jon Dyg Sperling*, Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, Thomas Scheike, Lars Vedel Kessing, Kamilla Miskowiak, Maj Vinberg

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Background: Lipids influence brain function and mental health. Understanding the role of apolipoproteins in affective disorders could provide valuable insights and potentially pave the way for novel therapeutic approaches. Methods: We examined the apolipoprotein E genotype and ApoE-levels, lipid profiles, and the correlation with cognition in 204 monozygotic (MZ) twins with unipolar or bipolar disorder in remission or partial remission (affected, AT), their unaffected co-twins (high-risk, HR), and twins with no personal or family history of affective disorder (low-risk, LR). Results: The APOE genotype was not associated with affective disorders. No significant group differences in ApoE levels were found between the three risk groups. Post hoc analysis group-wise comparisons showed higher ApoE levels in the AT than HR twins and in the concordant AT twin pairs relative to the discordant twin pairs. Within the discordant twin pairs, higher ApoE levels were observed in the affected twins (AT = 39.4 mg/L vs. HR = 36.8 mg/L, p = 0.037). Limitations: The present study could benefit from a larger sample size. We did not assess dietary habits. Conclusions: The results did not support our main hypothesis. However, exploratory post hoc analysis suggests a role for plasma ApoE and triglycerides in affective disorders. Future research is needed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2361
JournalJournal of Clinical Medicine
Volume13
Issue number8
Number of pages16
ISSN2077-0383
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.

Keywords

  • affective disorders
  • apolipoprotein E
  • cognition
  • high-risk-study
  • lipid metabolism
  • monozygotic twins

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