TITLE:
Pro-Inflammatory Substances and Cognition in the Dallas Heart Study
AUTHORS:
Keith A. Bernardo, Heidi C. Rossetti, Myron F. Weiner, Colin Munro Cullum, James De Lemos, Laura H. Lacritz
KEYWORDS:
Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Cognition, Inflammation, Dallas Heart Study
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
19,
2016
ABSTRACT: Cognitive decline in late
adulthood might be partially mediated by subclinical generalized vascular
disease. If so, atherogenic factors such as pro-inflammatory cytokines might be
mid-life targets for prevention or treatment. Dallas Heart Study subjects (n =
997; mean age = 42.94 ± 10.2 yrs) underwent blood assays of pro-inflammatory
biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis and 8 years later completed a
cognitive outcome measure, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Markers
included C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin-18 (IL-18),
Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase (LP-PLA2), and Monocyte
Chemoattractant Protein (MCP-1), with Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) as a potential
modifier. We found weak evidence for LP-PLA2 and CRP as predictors of cognitive
scores. No relationship was found between elevated MCP-1, IL-18 and cognition.
Presence of the ApoE4 allele did not impact the relationship between biomarkers
and cognitive function. Levels of atherogenesis-related pro-inflammatory blood
biomarkers did not predict cognitive function in middle-aged adults after an
interval of 8 years.