Apolipoprotein E and alpha brain rhythms in mild cognitive impairment: A multicentric Electroencephalogram study

Objective: Relationships between the apolipoprotein E 4 allele and electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythmicity have
been demonstrated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients but not in the preclinical stage prodromic to it, namely, mild
cognitive impairment (MCI). The present multicentric EEG study tested the hypothesis that presence of 4 affects
sources of resting EEG rhythms in both MCI and AD subjects. Methods: We enrolled 89 MCI subjects (34.8% with 4)
and 103 AD patients (50.4% with 4). Resting eyes-closed EEG data were recorded for all subjects. EEG rhythms of
interest were delta (2—4Hz), theta (4–8Hz), alpha 1 (8–10.5Hz), alpha 2 (10.5–13Hz), beta 1 (13–20Hz), and beta 2
(20–30Hz). EEG cortical sources were estimated by low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography. Results: Results
showed that amplitude of alpha 1 and 2 sources in occipital, temporal, and limbic areas was lower in subjects carrying
the 4 allele than in those not carrying the 4 allele (p < 0.01). This was true for both MCI and AD. For the first time
to our knowledge, a relationship was shown between ApoE genotype and global neurophysiological phenotype (ie,
cortical alpha rhythmicity) in a preclinical AD condition, MCI, in addition to clinically manifest AD. Interpretation:
Such a demonstration motivates future genotype–EEG phenotype studies for the early prediction of AD conversion in
individual MCI subjects.