title: Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor is associated with cognitive function in healthy older adults.
abstract: Cognitive decline is common in older adults, even in the absence of significant medical or neurological conditions. Recent work implicates serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in age-related cognitive decline, though no study has directly examined this possibility. A total of 35 older adults without neurological history underwent fasting blood draw and completed a brief neuropsychological test battery during a single session. After adjusting for demographic and medical confounds, higher serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels were associated with better performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (r = .36) and short form of the Boston Naming Test (r = .39). These findings extend work from Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia samples and indicate that higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are associated with better neuropsychological function in healthy older adults. The exact mechanisms for this relationship are unknown and require further examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. jgunstad@kent.edu
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunstad
authors.forename: Andreana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benitez
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Glickman
authors.forename: Mary B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Spitznagel
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Judi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Juvancic-Heltzel
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002784:Cholesterol