Inflammatory biomarkers profiles and cognition among older adults

Inflammation plays a major role in cognitive aging. Most studies on peripheral inflammation and cognitive aging focused on selected major inflammatory biomarkers. However, inflammatory markers are regulated and influenced by each other, and it is therefore important to consider a more comprehensive panel of markers to better capture diverse immune pathways and characterize the overall inflammatory profile of individuals. We explored 23 circulating inflammatory biomarkers using data from 1,743 participants without dementia (≥ 65 years-old) from the community-based, multiethnic Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we developed six inflammatory profiles (PC-1 to PC-6) based on these 23 biomarkers and tested the association of resulting inflammatory profile with cognitive decline, over up to 12 years of follow-up. PC-1 described a pro-inflammatory profile characterized by high positive loadings for pro-inflammatory biomarkers. A higher PC-1 score was associated with lower baseline cognitive performances. No association of this profile with cognitive decline was observed in longitudinal analysis. However, PC-5 characterized by high PDGF-AA and RANTES was associated with a faster cognitive decline. Among older adults, a circulating pro-inflammatory immune profile is associated with lower baseline cognitive performance, and some specific pro-inflammatory cytokines might be associated with faster cognitive decline.