title: Induced mild systemic inflammation is associated with impaired ability to improve cognitive task performance by practice.
abstract: Elevated inflammatory levels are linked to poorer cognition, but experimental confirmation is lacking. This report examined associations between cognitive performance and inflammation induced by exercise and vaccination. Thirty-six (exercise N = 18, vaccination N = 18) healthy males completed a paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT), which is a multifaceted measure of cognitive function. The task was completed in placebo and elevated inflammation states. Improvements in PASAT performance were related to inflammation. In the exercise study, IL-6 during the first PASAT negatively correlated with PASAT improvement (p = .022). In the vaccination study, increases in C-reactive protein between PASATs correlated with reduced PASAT improvement (p < .001). Inflammation was linked to reduced improvements in cognitive performance. Further research should identify the specific cognitive functions affects and the underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Nicola J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Paine
authors.forename: Jos A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ring
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Drayson
authors.forename: Jet J C S
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Veldhuijzen van Zanten
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Cognitive function; Eccentric exercise; Inflammation; PASAT; Vaccination