The longitudinal association between dyslipidemia and cognitive trajectory.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Existing research on dyslipidemia and cognitive decline in cognitively unimpaired individuals lacks conclusive evidence.
• Understanding the long-term impact of dyslipidemia on cognitive trajectories is crucial for aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between baseline dyslipidemia and changes in global and domain-specific cognition.
• To determine if this association differs based on sex, age, or APOE ɛ4 carrier status.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 4236 cognitively unimpaired individuals aged 50+ from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.
• Linear mixed-effect models analyzed baseline dyslipidemia's prediction of longitudinal cognitive z-scores.
• Adjustments were made for age, sex, education, comorbidities, and APOE ɛ4 status; interaction analyses were performed.

Main Results:

• Individuals with dyslipidemia exhibited a faster decline across all cognitive domains (memory, language, attention, visuospatial) and global cognition.
• The negative impact of dyslipidemia on global cognition, attention, and visuospatial skills was less pronounced in males compared to females.
• Older age amplified the effect of dyslipidemia on attention decline, but not on global cognition or other domains; APOE ɛ4 status did not modify these effects.

Conclusions:

• Dyslipidemia is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in memory, language, attention, and visuospatial skills among cognitively unimpaired older adults.
• The influence of dyslipidemia on cognitive trajectories appears to be sex-dependent, with females experiencing a more significant decline.