Data Sheet 1_Exploratory associations between APOE-ε4 carrier status and facial neuromuscular activity in cognitively intact adults: a cross-sectional surface electromyography study.pdf

Multivariable EMG-based models showed promising internal discrimination between carriers and noncarriers, whereas standard cognitive measures did not demonstrate significant APOE-ε4-related differences in this cohort. EMG-based measures also showed correlation with metabolic biomarkers. Genotype and genotype-by-sex effects on the EMG-derived factors were not statistically significant.

However, descriptive sex-stratified patterns suggested reduced functional connectivity in female carriers and increased functional connectivity in male carriers.</p>Discussion<p>These findings suggest that speech-based neuromuscular changes may serve as exploratory candidate indicators of neuromuscular vulnerability associated with APOE-ε4 carrier status in cognitively intact adults. While this study distinguishes APOE-ε4 carriers from noncarriers, further work is needed to determine whether these EMG features can diagnose AD, predict progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, or serve as early diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers.

Additionally, their prognostic value and relationship to standard cognitive measures should be confirmed in equivalent models and in larger, independent longitudinal cohorts.</p>