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Thyroid hormones and their associations with cognitive function: moderation by sex, race and depressive symptoms
Author(s) -
Beydoun May A,
Beydoun Hind A.,
KitnerTriolo Melissa H.,
Kaufman Jay S.,
Evans Michele K.,
Zonderman Alan B.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.840.1
Subject(s) - cognition , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , population , verbal fluency test , hormone , moderation , thyroid , medicine , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , neuropsychology , social psychology , environmental health
Thryroid hormone fluctuations’ influence on cognition is under‐studied, particularly within normal ranges and in population subgroups. We describe associations between thyroid hormones within reference ranges and cognitive performance, stratifying by sex, race and depressive symptoms (CES‐D). This is a cross‐sectional analysis of n=1,776–2,127 adults (age:30–64y) from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span study, Baltimore City, MD. Outcomes included thirteen test scores spanning various cognitive domains. Exposures included serum total and free T4 (tT4; fT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and T3(uptake). After familywise Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p<0.004), higher T4 was associated with better performance on animal fluency (tT4,fT4) and identical pictures(tT4). Stratum‐specific associations that remained statistically significant included: Higher tT4 and better performance on the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) among White and depressed individuals, higher tT4 and better performance on animal fluency among men, Whites and non‐depressed individuals, higher fT4 and better performance on animal fluency among men, higher T3(uptake) and poorer performance on animal fluency among depressed individuals. In sum, thyroid function and cognition are closely linked, with associations varying by sex, race and depressive symptoms.