Serum high-density lipoprotein is associated with better cognitive function in a cross-sectional study of aging women.
Purpose/Aim of the study: Poor cardiovascular health, including obesity and altered lipid profiles at mid-life, are linked to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The biological mechanisms linking cardiovascular health and cognitive function are unclear though are likely to be multifactorial. This study examined the association between various lipoproteins and cognitive functioning in ageing women.


METHODS
We investigated the relationship between readily available biomarkers (i.e. serum lipoprotein) and cognitive decline in domains associated with increased risk of AD (e.g. episodic verbal memory performance and subjective memory complaint). We report cross-sectional data investigating the relationship between serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein with verbal memory and learning ability in 130 women with and without memory complaints (n = 71 and 59, respectively) drawn from a study investigating cognitively healthy Western Australians (average age 62.5 years old).


RESULTS
After statistical modelling that controlled for the effects of age, depression and apolipoprotein E genotype, HDL-C was significantly associated with better verbal learning and memory performance, specifically short and long delay-free recalls (F = 3.062; p < .05 and F = 3.2670; p < .05, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Our cross-sectional findings suggest that the positive effect of HDL-C on verbal memory may be present much earlier than previously reported and provide further support for the role of HDL-C in healthy brain ageing. Further exploration of the protective effect of HDL-C on cognitive function in ageing is warranted through follow-up, longitudinal studies.
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.|c M650 School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences , The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.
Kristyn A
KA
Bates
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.|c M650 School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences , The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.|d Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health , Carlton , Australia.
Hamid R
HR
Sohrabi
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.
Stephanie R
SR
Rainey-Smith
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.|e M347 School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.
Michael
M
Weinborn
e M347 School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.
Romola S
RS
Bucks
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.
Mark
M
Rodrigues
f M576 School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine , The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.|g PathWest Laboratory Medicine of WA , Nedlands , Australia.
John
J
Beilby
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.
Matthew
M
Howard
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.
Kevin
K
Taddei
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.
Georgia
G
Martins
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.
Athena
A
Paton
b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.
Tejal
T
Shah
h School of Public Health , Curtin University of Technology , Perth , Australia.
Satvinder S
SS
Dhaliwal
i School of Psychology and Speech Pathology , Curtin University of Technology , Perth , Australia.
Jonathan K
JK
Foster
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.
Ian J
IJ
Martins
c M650 School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences , The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.|j Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, St Vincent's Health, Department of Psychiatry , University of Melbourne , Kew , Australia.|k M577 WA Centre for Health and Aging , The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.
Nicola T
NT
Lautenschlager
l Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases , Murdoch University , Murdoch , Australia.
Frank L
FL
Mastaglia
m Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center , Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York , NY , United States.
Samuel E
SE
Gandy
a School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup , Australia.|b The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation , Nedlands , Australia.|c M650 School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences , The University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia.
Ralph N
RN
Martins
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D000066492:Cognitive Aging; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014706:Verbal Learning
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL
ageing; apolipoprotein E; cognitive function; high-density lipoprotein; memory; women