Longitudinal genetic analysis of executive function in elderly men

The objective of this study was to characterize the relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences to individual differences in longitudinal performance and decline of executive function (EF) using a population-based prospective study of male, WWII veteran twins (NHLBI twin study). Three tests of EF were administered when the twins were 59–70 years old, with 9- and 13-year follow-up. APOE 4 allele status was incorporated in the genetic models to determine its contribution to longitudinal genetic variability. Mean EF performance significantly worsened over time. EF performance was highly genetically correlated across repeat assessment. There were significant genetic influences on 9- and 13-year decline in digit symbol performance. For all tasks decline over the last 4-year follow-up was influenced by individual-specific environmental effects. Controlling for APOE 4 allele presence did not appreciably change the magnitude of genetic effects. These results suggest that common genetic factors underlie longitudinal EF task performance. Genetic influences on EF decline, however, appear to be evident at longer time intervals between assessments.