The 5-HTTLPR Long Allele Predicts Two-year Longitudinal Increases in Cortisol and Declines in Verbal Memory in Older Adults

Overview

Journal Int J Geriatr Psychiatry

Specialties Geriatrics
Psychiatry

Date 2020 May 14

PMID 32400901

Authors

Rayna B Hirst

Joshua T Jordan

Sophia Miryam Schussler-Fiorenza Rose

Logan Schneider

Makoto Kawai

Christine E Gould

Lauren Anker

Christina F Chick

Sherry A Beaudreau

Joachim Hallmayer

Ruth OHara

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: The short form or s-allele variant of the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), as compared with the long-form or l-allele variant, has been associated with the presence of cognitive dysfunction, and particularly memory impairment in older adults. This body of cross-sectional work has culminated in the hypothesis that presence of the s-allele predicts greater memory decline in older adults. Yet, to date, there are no longitudinal studies that have investigated this issue.

Methods/design: Here, we examine 109 community-dwelling older adults (mean and SD of age = 70.7 ± 8.7 years) who underwent blood draw for genotyping, cognitive, and psychological testing at baseline, 12-, and 24-monthfollow-ups.

Results: Multilevel modeling found that s-allele carriers (ss or ls) performed worse than ll homozygotes at baseline on delayed verbal recall. Yet, s-allele carriers' memory performance was stable over the two-yearfollow-up period, while l-allele homozygotes experienced significant memory decline. l-allele homozygote status was associated with both increased cortisol and decreased memory over time, resulting in attenuated verbal memory performance differences compared to s-allele carriers with age.

Conclusions: Overall, our findings do not support the hypothesis that presence of the 5-HTTLPRs-allele is a marker for memory decline in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:-, 2020.

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