The Relationship Between Metacognitive Skills and Cognitive Functions, Subjective Well-Being, and APOE Gene Polymorphism in Middle-Aged Women

Introduction. Metacognition includes knowledge about one's own cognitive processes and mechanisms for regulating them, such as monitoring and controlling the decision-making process, and is considered a key factor in adaptive behavior. Metacognition plays a particularly important role in the second half of life, as it can be one of the key resources for compensating for age-related decline in cognitive functions. However, there is a lack of research on the molecular genetic basis of metacognition, and the results of existing studies are contradictory. This study aims to partially fill this gap.

Objective. Identify the role of metacognitive skills, cognitive abilities, and the polymorphism of the APOE gene in maintaining the subjective well-being of women of middle age.

Materials and methods. The study used standardized methods to evaluate cognitive (MoCA test) metacognitive characteristics (MCQ-30), the E. Diener's life satisfaction scale, and the allele-specific PCR method to genotype the APOE gene (388T/C and 526C/T).

Results. Despite the weak link between metacognitive and cognitive skills, a strong link between metacognitive skills and subjective well-being has been confirmed at this age. In addition, it was shown that APOE gene polymorphism is associated with the risk of cognitive decline (primarily short-term and long-term memory processes) and may affect the level of subjective well-being in middle-aged women.

Discussion. The results of the study emphasize the importance of developing metacognitive skills and working with metacognitive beliefs in middle age. The development of such skills includes the formation of various strategies for planning, self-checking, and regulating one's own thought processes, as well as the ability to apply them flexibly in different life and professional situations. Targeted support and training of metacognitive skills can be considered one of the ways to prevent age-related cognitive decline and maintain subjective well-being. The data obtained support the hypothesis of metacognitive strategies and polymorphism of the APOE gene as markers of well-being in adulthood.

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