Related Experiment Videos
Multivariate associations between systemic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and cognitive performance in
Chathurika S Dhanasekara1,2,3, Chanaka N Kahathuduwa3,4, Volker Neugebauer1,2,3
1Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Chronic inflammation and metabolic issues are linked to cognitive decline in aging adults. Maintaining cardiometabolic health is crucial for preserving cognitive function and preventing executive dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Cognitive aging exhibits significant heterogeneity.
- Chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic dysregulation are implicated in cognitive decline.
- Project FRONTIER investigated these factors in a rural West Texas cohort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the multivariate relationship between inflammatory-metabolic biomarkers and neuropsychological performance.
- To assess shared variance between biological and cognitive domains in aging adults.
Main Methods:
- 1,357 adults aged ≥ 40 years from Project FRONTIER were included.
- Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) assessed associations between metabolic markers and cognitive function.
- Structural equation modeling (SEM) explored the relationship further.
Main Results:
- CCA revealed a significant association between inflammatory-metabolic biomarkers and cognitive performance (r = 0.242).
- C-reactive protein and EXIT-25 showed the strongest loadings, indicating their significant contribution.
- SEM confirmed that a higher inflammatory-metabolic burden correlated with worse executive function (β = -0.310).
Conclusions:
- Systemic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation are associated with poorer cognitive performance, especially executive dysfunction, in this cohort.
- Findings highlight the importance of cardiometabolic health for cognitive aging.
- Further longitudinal and mechanistic studies are warranted.
