THE COMPARISON OF DUAL TASK TIME AMONG APOE CARRIERS AGAINST NON-APOE CARRIERS

Authors

C Diehl
A Campitelli
M Jones
R Urbina
J Glenn
K Bryk
J Gills
S Paulson
M Gray

Abstract

Cody Diehl¹, Anthony Campitelli¹, Megan Jones¹, Ray Urbina¹, Jordan Glenn², Kelsey Bryk², Joshua Gills³, Sally Paulson⁴ and Michelle Gray¹

¹University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

²Neurotrack Technologies

³Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

⁴St. Elizabeth Healthcare

No single variable has been identified as the sole factor for predicting an individuals’ declining health status. In order to predict mental or physical decline in older adults, researchers have designed tasks that include both a physical and mental or cognitive demand known as dual task (DT). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare dual task (DT) time of APOE carriers against non-APOE carriers in older adults at risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease and or related dementias (AD/RD) Methods: Our study consisted of males and females aged from 45 to 75 years who have risk factors for dementia. Each participant was randomly assigned to either a health coaching (HC), or health education (HE) control group. The HC group received personalized coaching to address the lifestyle areas known to be linked to AD risk, such as diet, exercise, sleep, stress, cognitive training, and social interaction. The HE group received health information education materials but no health coaching throughout the study. Blood markers of each individual were assessed to determine carrier status of Apolipoprotein E (APOE). The participants were then labeled as carrier vs non-carrier of APOE-4 in both HE and HC groups. Results: A 2x3 mixed factorial revealed a significant main effect for time between the two groups (HC vs HE) from time 1 (baseline) to time 3 (12 months). A statistically group*time interaction effect for DT time was noted in the HC group for APOE carriers from Time 1 to Time 3, F (2, 362) =1.253, p=.02. No significant interaction was noted in the HE for APOE carriers. Conclusion: Individuals at risk for developing AD/RD who are carriers for APOE4 can benefit from both HC, and HE while those receiving HC have a statistically significant improved DT performance time compared to those receiving only HE.

Recommended Citation

Diehl, C; Campitelli, A; Jones, M; Urbina, R; Glenn, J; Bryk, K; Gills, J; Paulson, S; and Gray, M (2023) "THE COMPARISON OF DUAL TASK TIME AMONG APOE CARRIERS AGAINST NON-APOE CARRIERS," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 11: Iss. 10, Article 17.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol11/iss10/17