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Anticardiolipin antibodies are associated with cognitive dysfunction in stroke-free individuals

N Homayoon1, P Schwingenschuh, E Hofer

  • 1Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.

European Journal of Neurology
|December 10, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Elevated anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) IgG titres are linked to cognitive decline in elderly individuals, independent of structural brain abnormalities. This suggests aCLs may impact cognition directly.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Immunology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCLs) are linked to vascular occlusive events.
  • The association between aCLs and stroke risk is debated, with limited data on other cerebral disorders like seizures, chorea, and cognitive dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the relationship between aCLs and cognitive function.
  • To investigate the correlation between aCL titres and brain MRI findings in a large cohort of community-dwelling individuals.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 1895 subjects from the Austrian Stroke Prevention Study had aCL titres (IgG/IgM) measured.
  • Participants were classified as aCL positive based on elevated IgG (>21 U/ml) or IgM (>12 U/ml) titres.
  • Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and brain MRI was performed on 947 participants.

Main Results:

  • aCL-positive individuals demonstrated poorer performance on the MMSE.
  • Elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG) aCL titres, but not IgM, correlated with worse MMSE scores.
  • No significant association was found between aCL positivity and vascular brain abnormalities such as lacunes, cortical infarcts, or white matter lesions.

Conclusions:

  • Increasing IgG aCL titres are associated with global cognitive dysfunction in the elderly population.
  • Structural brain lesions are unlikely to be the cause of the observed cognitive impairment in relation to aCL titres.
Abstract

Keywords:
anticardiolipin antibodiesbrain magnetic resonance imagingcognitionvascular brain lesions

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