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Plasma folate concentration and cognitive performance: Rotterdam Scan Study.

Lonneke M L de Lau¹, Helga Refsum, A David Smith

¹Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

|September 8, 2007

Summary

Higher folate levels are linked to better cognitive function and psychomotor speed in older adults. These benefits may be due to vascular mechanisms, not just homocysteine levels.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Nutritional Psychiatry
Gerontology

Background:

Growing evidence suggests folate has independent benefits for cognitive function.
The biological mechanisms underlying folate's cognitive effects remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the independent association between plasma folate concentration and cognitive performance.
To explore potential vascular or cellular mechanisms, including cerebrovascular disease markers and brain volumes, mediating this relationship.

Main Methods:

Cross-sectional analysis of 1033 non-demented participants (aged 60-90) from the Rotterdam Scan Study.
Cognitive testing and brain imaging (white matter lesions, hippocampal and amygdalar volumes) were performed.
Multivariate linear regression examined associations between plasma folate and cognitive test scores.

Main Results:

Higher plasma folate was associated with better global cognitive function (0.05 per SD increase) and psychomotor speed (0.08 per SD increase).
Associations remained significant after adjusting for homocysteine.
Higher plasma folate correlated with reduced odds of severe white matter lesions (OR 0.79), but not with hippocampal or amygdalar volumes.

Conclusions:

Elevated plasma folate concentrations are independently associated with enhanced global cognitive function and psychomotor speed.
Vascular mechanisms likely mediate these cognitive benefits.
Folate status does not appear to influence hippocampal or amygdalar volumes in this cohort.