OBJECTIVES
Elucidating associations of specific inflammatory biomarkers with cognitive function in African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA) with prevalent vascular risk factors could identify vascular-mediated effects on cognitive impairment.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional analysis using Generalized Estimating Equations to account for familial clustering; standardized β-coefficients, adjusted for age, sex, and education are reported.
SETTING
A community cohort study in Jackson, MS and Rochester, MN.
PARTICIPANTS
Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA)-Genetics of Microangiopathic Brain Injury (GMBI) Study.
MEASUREMENTS
We examined associations between inflammation [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2 (sTNFR1, sTNFR2)] and cognitive function measures [global (G), processing speed (PS), language (L), memory (M), and executive function (EF)] in AA and EA (N=1965; age 26–95y, 64% women, 52% AA, 75% hypertensive).
RESULTS
In AA, higher sTNFR2 was associated with poorer cognition across all domains (G: −0.11, p=.009; PS: −0.11, p<.001; L: −0.08, p=.002; M: −0.09, p=.008; EF: −0.07, p=.032); sTNFR1 was associated with poorer PS (−0.08, p<.001) and with EF (−0.08, p=.008); higher CRP was associated with lower PS (−0.04, p=.024), and higher IL6 was associated with poorer EF (−0.07, p=.019). In EA, only higher sTNFR1 was associated with poorer PS (−0.05, p=.007). We did not find support for associations between cognition and sTNFR2, CRP or IL6 in EA.
CONCLUSION
In a population with heightened vascular risk, adverse associations between inflammation and cognitive function were especially apparent in AA, primarily involving markers of TNFα activity.