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Elevated C‐Reactive Protein Is Related to Cognitive Decline in Older Adults with Cardiovascular Disease
Author(s) -
Hoth Karin F.,
Haley Andreana P.,
Gunstad John,
Paul Robert H.,
Poppas Athena,
Jefferson Angela L.,
Tate David F.,
Ono Makoto,
Jerskey Beth A.,
Cohen Ronald A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01930.x
Subject(s) - psychomotor learning , medicine , cognition , neuropsychology , c reactive protein , cognitive decline , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , prospective cohort study , executive functions , neuropsychological assessment , gerontology , audiology , disease , psychiatry , dementia , inflammation
OBJECTIVES: To prospectively relate C‐reactive protein (CRP), a systemic marker of inflammation, to cognitive change over a 1‐year follow‐up period. DESIGN: Prospective 1‐year follow‐up. SETTING: Outpatient university medical setting. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy‐eight adults (aged 56–84; 39% female) with cardiovascular disease. MEASUREMENTS: CRP levels were measured using a high‐sensitivity assay, and participants completed a neuropsychological battery at study entry. Neuropsychological assessment was repeated 1 year later. RESULTS: The association between CRP and change in cognition over the 1‐year follow‐up was examined using hierarchical linear regression modeling for five cognitive domains (global cognition, language, memory, visuospatial abilities, and attention‐executive‐psychomotor). High CRP levels were associated with subtle declines in attention‐executive‐psychomotor performance (CRP β=−0.22, P =.04) after adjusting for the effects of age and cognitive performance at study entry. CRP was not significantly associated with change in language, memory, or visuospatial performance. CONCLUSION: These data provide preliminary evidence that inflammation, potentially contributing to atherosclerotic processes, may underlie the association between high CRP and changes in attention‐executive‐psychomotor performance.