Inflammation and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Molly Wright, Erin Harrington, Jennifer Graham-Engeland, Martin Sliwinski, Richard Lipton, Mindy Katz, Christopher Engeland
Primary Institution: The Pennsylvania State University
Hypothesis
Inflammation may serve as a biological precursor to the development of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
Conclusion
Higher levels of IL-6 may predict nonamnestic mild cognitive impairment but not amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Supporting Evidence
- IL-6 was negatively associated with the executive functioning and processing speed factor.
- IL-6 was not associated with attention or memory factors.
Takeaway
This study found that higher inflammation levels can affect how well older adults think and process information.
Methodology
Older adults completed neurocognitive testing and had blood draws to assess IL-6 levels, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.
Participant Demographics
65.4% female, 49.7% non-Hispanic White
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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