The Androgen Receptor Gene Polyglycine Repeat Polymorphism Is Associated With Memory Performance In Healthy Chinese Individuals

The study, involving 449 healthy Chinese participants (222 males and 227 females), explored the relationship between the androgen receptor gene (AR) polymorphisms—specifically the polyglutamine (CAG) and polyglycine (GGN) repeats—and memory performance. It was found that the CAG repeats had no significant impact on memory. In contrast, the GGN repeats were significantly associated with better performance in Immediate Logical Memory (p = 0.001) and Delayed Logical Memory (p = 0.022), with the association remaining significant for Immediate Logical Memory after permutation corrections (p = 0.013). This link was only evident in females (p = 0.002 for Immediate and p = 0.014 for Delayed Logical Memory), suggesting that the GGN repeat length in the AR gene may play a role in modulating memory function in women. These findings could be relevant for understanding memory-related conditions such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, although the study's focus on a healthy, Chinese cohort may limit the wider applicability of the results. Future research with larger and more diverse populations is recommended to further investigate the genetic basis of cognitive functions.