If I live to 90, I’m not sure I would be accepted as a participant in a study of 100 people age 90 and older defined as having aged successfully. To identify regions of the human genome that contributed, along with lifestyle factors, to reaching age 90 with preserved cognition, the genetic make-up of these successful elderly were compared to that of young adults, ages 18-25, matched on sex, race, ethnicity and geographic location.
The elderly in the study who had aged successfully were found to have:
- A higher frequency of the APOE E2 allele
- A lower frequency of the APOE E4 allele
- Differences in certain genetic regions, including DYS389 and DYS390
- Gender-specific associations between genetics and cognition
The APOE E2 and E4 alleles have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
On the differences between men and women, lead researcher George S. Zubenko, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said:
Historically women have lived longer than men on average, the prevalence of numerous serious diseases differs in men and women, and there are important differences in age-related physiological changes that occur between the sexes over the life span. It would not be surprising if the collection of genes that influences the capacity to reach old age with normal mental capacity differs somewhat for men and women
For children born in 2001, the average world life expectancy is 66.7 years with high income countries experiencing a life expectancy of 78.1 years and low income families 59.1 years. Clearly, the majority of people do not survive to 90, so it would be interesting to see how APOE and other genes affect average people who are aging, but not necessarily aging successfully.
EurekAlert, December 12, 2005