title: Inflammatory markers and neuropsychological functioning: the Framingham Heart Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We hypothesized that inflammatory markers are cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with neuropsychological indicators of early ischemia and Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Framingham Offspring Study participants, free of clinical stroke or dementia (n = 1,878; 60 ± 9 years; 54% women), underwent neuropsychological assessment and ascertainment of 11 inflammatory markers. Follow-up neuropsychological assessments (6.3 ± 1.0 years) were conducted on 1,352 of the original 1,878 participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariable linear regression related the inflammatory markers to cross-sectional performance and longitudinal change in neuropsychological performances. Secondary models included a twelfth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), available on a subset of the sample (n = 1,393 cross-sectional; n = 1,213 longitudinal). Results suggest a few modest cross-sectional inflammatory and neuropsychological associations, particularly for tests assessing visual organization (C-reactive protein, p = 0.007), and a few modest relations between inflammatory markers and neuropsychological change, particularly for executive functioning (TNF-α, p = 0.004). Secondary analyses suggested that inflammatory markers were cross-sectionally (TNF-α, p = 0.004) related to reading performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings are largely negative, but suggest that specific inflammatory markers may have limited associations with poorer cognition and reading performance among community-dwelling adults. Because of multiple testing concerns, our limited positive findings are offered as hypothesis generating and require replication in other studies.
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. angelaj@bu.edu
authors.forename: Angela L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jefferson
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Massaro
authors.forename: Alexa S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Beiser
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seshadri
authors.forename: Martin G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Rhoda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Au
authors.forename: Emelia J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Benjamin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines