Abstract
Introduction We investigated the association of the Australian National University Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Index (ANU-ADRI) and an AD genetic risk score (GRS) with cognitive performance.
Methods The ANU-ADRI (composed of 11 risk factors for AD) and GRS (composed of 25 AD risk loci) were computed in 1,061 community-dwelling older adults. Participants were assessed on 11 cognitive tests and activities of daily living. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the association of the ANU-ADRI and GRS with: 1) general cognitive ability (g) 2) dementia related variance in cognitive performance (δ) and 3) verbal ability, episodic memory, executive function and processing speed.
Results A worse ANU-ADRI score was associated with poorer performance in ‘g’, δ, and each cognitive domain. A worse GRS was associated with poorer performance in δ and episodic memory.
Discussion The ANU-ADRI was broadly associated with worse cognitive performance, validating its further use in early dementia risk assessment.
Highlights
An environmental/lifestyle dementia risk index is broadly associated with cognitive performance
An Alzheimer’s genetic risk score is associated with dementia severity and episodic memory
The environmental risk index is more strongly associated with dementia severity than genetic risk
Systematic Review The authors reviewed the literature using online databases (e.g. PubMed). Previous research has highlighted the need for dementia risk assessment tools to be evaluated on outcomes prior to dementia onset, such as cognitive performance. The relevant citations have been appropriately cited.
Interpretation The Australian National University Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Index (ANU-ADRI) was more broadly associated with cognitive performance than Alzheimer’s genetic risk. For the ANU-ADRI, stronger effects were observed for dementia-related variance in cognitive task performance that for variance in general cognitive function. This suggests that ANU-ADRI is more specifically associated with dementia-related processes and further validates its use in early risk assessment for dementia.
Future Directions Accordingly, future studies should seek to evaluate the association of the ANU-ADRI and genetic risk with AD biomarkers and longitudinal cognitive performance to evaluate differential trajectories in ‘g’ and δ.
