Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is an objective biomarker of biological aging, and it is proposed to play a crucial role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. We aimed at evaluating the cross-sectional association between LTL and cognitive performance in middle-aged cognitively unimpaired individuals at increased risk of AD. A total of 1520 participants from the ALFA cohort were included. Relative telomere length was measured in leukocytes through qPCR. LTL was residualized against age and sex, and associations with cognitive performance were assessed in short and long groups based on residualized LTL (rLTL). Interactions with sex and genetic risk of AD were tested. Non-linear associations were found between LTL and episodic memory (EM). Better EM was associated with longer rLTL among women in the short rLTL group. Results suggest a potential role of telomeres in the cognitive aging process with sex-specific patterns.

中文翻译：

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认知功能未受损且有阿尔茨海默病风险的个体中端粒长度与认知功能之间的关联


白细胞端粒长度（LTL）是生物衰老的客观生物标志物，被认为在阿尔茨海默病（AD）风险中发挥着至关重要的作用。我们的目的是评估 AD 风险增加、认知未受损的中年个体的 LTL 与认知表现之间的横断面关联。 ALFA 队列共有 1520 名参与者。通过 qPCR 测量白细胞的相对端粒长度。 LTL 根据年龄和性别进行残留，并根据残留 LTL (rLTL) 评估短期和长期组中与认知表现的关联。测试了 AD 与性别和遗传风险的相互作用。 LTL 和情景记忆 (EM) 之间存在非线性关联。在短 rLTL 组中，更好的 EM 与更长的 rLTL 相关。结果表明，端粒在具有性别特异性模式的认知衰老过程中具有潜在作用。