| Recent studies have linked concussions earlier in life and later memory problems, but little is known about neurocognitive long-term effects of concussion, and whether a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease, Apolipoprotein-e4 (APOE-e4), might play a role in these long-term effects. In the present study, participants between 50-65 (N=63) were grouped based on concussion history (0-1 or 3+), football exposure (college or college+NFL), and APOE-e4 status (APOE-e4+ or APOE-e4-). Participants completed two batteries of neurocognitive tasks, and performed an fMRI-adapted N-back task. Neurocognitive results revealed selective deficits in memory across all sub-groups, but no differences between the groups. Functional connectivity results suggested that APOE-e4 genotype interacted with concussion and exposure history in accounting for differences in connectivity within a fronto-parietal working memory network. Thus, while there are no behavioral differences between groups, functional connectivity may be altered by the interaction between concussion history, football exposure, and APOE-e4 status. |
