N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and risk of future cognitive impairment in the REGARDS cohort

Background: Improved understanding of the etiology of cognitive impairment is needed to develop effective preventive interventions. Higher amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a biomarker of cardiac dysfunction associated with risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke in apparently healthy people. Objective: To study the association of NT-proBNP with risk of incident cognitive impairment. Methods: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke is a national cohort study of 30,239 black and white Americans age 45 and older at baseline, enrolled in 2003-7. Among participants without prebaseline stroke or cognitive impairment, baseline NT-proBNP was measured in 470 cases of incident cognitive impairment and 557 controls. Cases were participants scoring below the 6th percentile of demographically-adjusted means on at least 2 of 3 serially administered tests (word list learning, word list recall and semantic fluency) over 3.5 years follow-up. Results: Adjusting for age, gender, race, region of residence, education, and income, there was an increased odds ratio of incident cognitive impairment with increasing NT-proBNP; participants in the 4th versus 1st quartile (>127 versus ≤33 pg/ml) had a 1.69-fold increased odds (95% CI 1.11–2.58). Adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and presence of an apolipoprotein E4 allele had no substantial impact on the odds ratio. Results did not differ by age, race, gender, or presence of an apolipoprotein E4 allele. Conclusion: Higher NT-pro-BNP was associated with incident cognitive impairment in this prospective study, independent of atherogenic and Alzheimer’s disease risk factors. Future work should clarify pathophysiologic connections of NT-proBNP and cognitive dysfunction

The American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 and incident cognitive impairment: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study

BACKGROUND: Life's Simple 7 is a new metric based on modifiable health behaviors and factors that the American Heart Association uses to promote improvements to cardiovascular health (CVH). We hypothesized that better Life's Simple 7 scores are associated with lower incidence of cognitive impairment. METHODS AND RESULTS: For this prospective cohort study, we included REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) participants aged 45+ who had normal global cognitive status at baseline and no history of stroke (N=17 761). We calculated baseline Life's Simple 7 score (range, 0 to 14) based on smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting glucose. We identified incident cognitive impairment using a 3-test measure of verbal learning, memory, and fluency obtained a mean of 4 years after baseline. Relative to the lowest tertile of Life's Simple 7 score (0 to 6 points), odds ratios of incident cognitive impairment were 0.65 (0.52, 0.81) in the middle tertile (7 to 8 points) and 0.63 (0.51, 0.79) in the highest tertile (9 to 14 points). The association was similar in blacks and whites, as well as outside and within the Southeastern stroke belt region of the United States. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with low CVH, intermediate and high CVH were both associated with substantially lower incidence of cognitive impairment. We did not observe a dose-response pattern; people with intermediate and high levels of CVH had similar incidence of cognitive impairment. This suggests that even when high CVH is not achieved, intermediate levels of CVH are preferable to low CVH

Blood Pressure and Cognitive Decline Over 8 Years in Middle-Aged and Older Black and White Americans

Although the association between high blood pressure (BP), particularly in midlife, and late-life dementia is known, less is known about variations by race and sex. In a prospective national study of 22 164 blacks and whites ≥45 years without baseline cognitive impairment or stroke from the REGARDS cohort study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke), enrolled 2003 to 2007 and followed through September 2015, we measured changes in cognition associated with baseline systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), as well as pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure, and we tested whether age, race, and sex modified the effects. Outcomes were global cognition (Six-Item Screener; primary outcome), new learning (Word List Learning), verbal memory (Word List Delayed Recall), and executive function (Animal Fluency Test). Median follow-up was 8.1 years. Significantly faster declines in global cognition were associated with higher SBP, lower DBP, and higher PP with increasing age ( P<0.001 for age×SBP×follow-up-time, age×DBP×follow-up-time, and age×PP×follow-up-time interaction). Declines in global cognition were not associated with mean arterial pressure after adjusting for PP. Blacks, compared with whites, had faster declines in global cognition associated with SBP ( P=0.02) and mean arterial pressure ( P=0.04). Men, compared with women, had faster declines in new learning associated with SBP ( P=0.04). BP was not associated with decline of verbal memory and executive function, after controlling for the effect of age on cognitive trajectories. Significantly faster declines in global cognition over 8 years were associated with higher SBP, lower DBP, and higher PP with increasing age. SBP-related cognitive declines were greater in blacks and men

Association Between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Cognitive Function in Older Adults—The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116310/1/jgs13829_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116310/2/jgs13829.pd

Age Differences in the Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk with Cognition and Quality of Life

Using a sample of 2925 stroke-free participants drawn from a national population-based study, we examined cross-sectional associations of obstructive sleep apnea risk (OSA) with cognition and quality of life and whether these vary with age, while controlling for demographics and co-morbidities. Included participants from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke Study were aged 47-93. OSA risk was categorized as high or low based on responses to the Berlin Sleep Questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed with standardized fluency and recall measures. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the four-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 (SF-12). MANCOVA statistics were applied separately to the cognitive and quality of life dependent variables while accounting for potential confounders (demographics, co-morbidities). In fully adjusted models, those at high risk for OSA had significantly lower cognitive scores (Wilks’ Lambda = 0.996, F(3, 2786) = 3.31, p < .05) and lower quality of life (depressive symptoms and HRQoL) (Wilks’ Lambda = 0.989, F(3, 2786) = 10.02, p < .0001). However, some of the associations were age-dependent. Differences in cognition and quality of life between those at high and low obstructive sleep apnea risk were most pronounced during middle age, with attenuated effects after age 70

Effect of sunlight exposure on cognitive function among depressed and non-depressed participants: a REGARDS cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Possible physiological causes for the effect of sunlight on mood are through the suprachiasmatic nuclei and evidenced by serotonin and melatonin regulation and its associations with depression. Cognitive function involved in these same pathways may potentially be affected by sunlight exposure. We evaluated whether the amount of sunlight exposure (i.e. insolation) affects cognitive function and examined the effect of season on this relationship.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We obtained insolation data for residential regions of 16,800 participants from a national cohort study of blacks and whites, aged 45+. Cognitive impairment was assessed using a validated six-item screener questionnaire and depression status was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Logistic regression was used to find whether same-day or two-week average sunlight exposure was related to cognitive function and whether this relationship differed by depression status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among depressed participants, a dose-response relationship was found between sunlight exposure and cognitive function, with lower levels of sunlight associated with impaired cognitive status (odds ratio = 2.58; 95% CI 1.43–6.69). While both season and sunlight were correlated with cognitive function, a significant relation remained between each of them and cognitive impairment after controlling for their joint effects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study found an association between decreased exposure to sunlight and increased probability of cognitive impairment using a novel data source. We are the first to examine the effects of two-week exposure to sunlight on cognition, as well as the first to look at sunlight's effects on cognition in a large cohort study.</p

Dietary patterns are associated with cognitive function in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort.

Identifying factors that contribute to the preservation of cognitive function is imperative to maintaining quality of life in advanced years. Of modifiable risk factors, diet quality has emerged as a promising candidate to make an impact on cognition. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between empirically derived dietary patterns and cognitive function. This study included 18 080 black and white participants aged 45 years and older from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. Principal component analysis on data from the Block98 FFQ yielded five dietary patterns: convenience, plant-based, sweets/fats, Southern, and alcohol/salads. Incident cognitive impairment was defined as shifting from intact cognitive status (score >4) at first assessment to impaired cognitive status (score ≤4) at latest assessment, measured by the Six-Item Screener. Learning, memory and executive function were evaluated with the Word List Learning, Word List Delayed Recall, and animal fluency assessments. In fully adjusted models, greater consumption of the alcohol/salads pattern was associated with lower odds of incident cognitive impairment (highest quintile (Q5) v. lowest quintile (Q1): OR 0·68; 95 % CI 0·56, 0·84; P for trend 0·0005). Greater consumption of the alcohol/salads pattern was associated with higher scores on all domain-specific assessments and greater consumption of the plant-based pattern was associated with higher scores in learning and memory. Greater consumption of the Southern pattern was associated with lower scores on each domain-specific assessment (all P < 0·05). In conclusion, dietary patterns including plant-based foods and alcohol intake were associated with higher cognitive scores, and a pattern including fried food and processed meat typical of a Southern diet was associated with lower scores

Sickle cell trait and risk of cognitive impairment in African-Americans: The REGARDS cohort

Background: Sickle cell anemia may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, and some complications of sickle cell anemia might affect those with sickle cell trait (SCT), so we hypothesized that SCT is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Methods: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study enrolled a national cohort of 30,239 white and black Americans from 2003 to 7, who are followed every 6 months. Baseline and annual global cognitive function testing used the Six-Item Screener (SIS), a validated instrument (scores range 0-6; ≤ 4 indicates cognitive impairment). Participants with baseline cognitive impairment and whites were excluded. Logistic regression was used to calculate the association of SCT with incident cognitive impairment, adjusted for risk factors. Linear mixed models assessed multivariable-adjusted change in test scores on a biennially administered 3-test battery measuring learning, memory, and semantic and phonemic fluency. Findings: Among 7743 participants followed for a median of 7·1 years, 85 of 583 participants with SCT (14·6%) developed incident cognitive impairment compared to 902 of 7160 (12·6%) without SCT. In univariate analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of incident cognitive impairment was 1·18 (95% CI: 0·93, 1·51) for those with SCT vs. those without. Adjustment did not impact the OR. There was no difference in change on 3-test battery scores by SCT status (all p > 0·11). Interpretation: In this prospective cohort study of black Americans, SCT was not associated with incident cognitive impairment or decline in test scores of learning, memory and executive function. Funding: National Institutes of Health, American Society of Hematology

Longitudinal Assessment of Older Drivers in a DMV Setting

A brief battery of functional assessments designed to detect crash riskamong older drivers was developed and evaluated initially in 1999 in Marylandmotor vehicle licensing sites following the routine vision screening exam. Thisbattery contained a number of cognitive tests (e.g., UFOV® subtest 2, the closuresubtest of the Motor Free Visual Perception Test (MVPT), Trails A and B, cuedrecall, delayed recall), and several physical measures (e.g., Rapid Pace Walk,Head and Neck Rotation, Foot Tap, Arm Reach). Older adults (N=4,173; meanage = 69 years) were approached by the staff after license renewal and asked tohelp evaluate the brief battery. Of the 4,173 older adults approached at the fieldsites, 2,114 individuals 55-96 years of age participated. Subsequently, the originalsample of 2,114 participants was invited to come in once again, during their fiveyearlicense renewal cycle, and the functional tests were administered once again.To date, 939 individuals have completed the second screening evaluation. Anexamination of the crash data from the interval between assessments for theseindividuals indicates that the same cognitive measures are predictive of at-faultcrashes. Furthermore, approximately 10% of those passing the assessment in 1999are now failing the assessment in 2004. Performance-based cognitive measuresare predictive of future at-fault motor vehicle collisions among older adults.Cognitive performance, in particular, is a salient predictor of subsequent crashinvolvement among older adults. High-risk older drivers can be identified throughbrief, performance-based measures administered in a DMV setting