Elevated Markers of Inflammation Are Associated With Longitudinal Changes in Brain Function in Older Adults

Chronic inflammation has been linked to memory and other cognitive impairments, as well as Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigate the association between inflammatory markers and changes in brain activity measured by regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) to assess the relationship between inflammation and brain function in older individuals.

Annual 15O water resting-state positron emission tomography (PET) scans collected over a 5-year period were assessed in 138 cognitively normal older participants (77 males; mean age at baseline = 71.3; mean scans per participant = 3.5) in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Voxel-wise linear mixed models were used to investigate associations between rCBF and C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) at the time of scanning. We examined relationships between baseline CRP and IL-6 levels and baseline rCBF, and relationships between baseline and mean inflammatory levels over time and longitudinal rCBF changes.

Higher baseline CRP and IL-6 were each associated with lower baseline rCBF primarily in frontal and occipital regions, with only the lingual gyrus surviving atrophy correction. Higher baseline and mean CRP were also associated with greater rCBF declines over time in anterior cingulate and hippocampal regions, whereas higher baseline and mean IL-6 levels were associated with greater rCBF declines in orbitofrontal and hippocampal regions.

Higher levels of inflammation are associated with longitudinal changes in brain function in regions important for cognition. These results, along with previous studies, suggest that chronic inflammation in older adults may contribute to age-associated declines in cognitive function.