Discussion
APOE genotypes may modulate AD treatment response and should be included in the design of future randomized controlled trials.
Methods
We determined APOE genotypes in a subset of subjects (N = 415) who participated in a randomized controlled trial of vitamin E and memantine in 613 veterans with mild-to-moderate AD.
Results
Similar to the primary study, substudy participants receiving vitamin E also had slower functional decline than those receiving placebo. Overall, there was no difference in the rate of functional decline between APOE ε4 allele carriers and noncarriers. A significant interaction was observed between treatment and the APOE genotype on AD progression: ε4 carriers declined faster than noncarriers in the vitamin E plus memantine treatment arm.