Sex differences in APOE- and PICALM-related cognitive profiles in healthy middle-aged adults

This study revealed significant sex differences in gene-cognition interactions. In females with lower cognitive performance, the genotype <i>APOE</i> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>ε</mml:mi> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> <mml:mi>ε</mml:mi> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow> </mml:math> was associated with poorer recognition, while the combined effects of <i>APOE</i> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mo>×</mml:mo></mml:mrow> </mml:math> <i>PICALM</i> in males were associated with weaker episodic memory. Although performance remained within normative ranges, these subtle differences may indicate early risk and warrant longitudinal monitoring.