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BDNF increases associated with constant troponin T levels and may protect against poor cognitive interference control: The SABPA prospective study
Author(s) -
Jansen van Vuren Esmé,
Malan Leoné,
von Känel Roland,
Magnusson Martin,
Lammertyn Leandi,
Malan Nicolaas T.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/eci.13116
Subject(s) - stroop effect , prospective cohort study , brain derived neurotrophic factor , medicine , cognition , cohort , neurocognitive , neurotrophic factors , cognitive decline , cardiology , troponin complex , psychology , endocrinology , myocardial infarction , psychiatry , troponin , dementia , receptor , disease
Background Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates brain health and cognition, which can interfere with executive cognitive function. BDNF was implicated with microcirculatory ischaemia and may reflect cardiomyocyte injury. We aimed to determine whether prospective changes (%Δ) in BDNF and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) will be associated with executive cognitive function in a bi‐ethnic cohort. Design A prospective investigation was conducted over a three‐year period in a bi‐ethnic sex cohort (N = 338; aged 20‐65 years) from South Africa. Fasting serum samples for BDNF and cTnT were obtained. The STROOP‐color‐word conflict test (CWT) was applied to assess executive cognitive function at baseline. Results In Blacks, BDNF ( P < 0.001) increased over the three‐year period while cTnT did not change. In contrast, in Whites, BDNF and cTnT decreased over three years. In Black men, no change in cTnT was associated with increased ΔBDNF ( β = 0.25; 95% CI 0.05‐0.45; P = 0.02). In the Black men, constant cTnT levels were inversely associated with executive cognitive function ( β = −0.33; 95% CI −0.53 to −0.12; P = 0.003). Three‐year increases in BDNF increased the likelihood for chronic lower cTnT levels at a pre‐established cut‐point of <4.2 ng/L [OR = 2.35 (1.12‐4.94), P = 0.02]. The above associations were not found in the White sex groups. Conclusions Central neural control mechanisms may have upregulated BDNF in Black men as a way to protect against myocardial stress progression and to possibly improve processes related to cognitive interference control. High‐sensitive cTnT levels may act as an early predictor of disturbed neural control mechanisms.