A – 97 Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels Correlate with Cognitive Intraindividual Variability in Older Adults

Objective To evaluate the relationship between cognitive intra-individual variability (IIV) and various blood-based biomarkers of metabolic health in a diverse sample of older adults. Method 1434 older adults (M age = 66.13 years, SD = 8.68; 17.99% African American, 32.57% Hispanic, 49.44% non-Hispanic White) underwent neuropsychological testing and full metabolic blood panel where High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDLC), Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDLC), and triglyceride levels were observed. Cognitive IIV was calculated from standardized T-scores on testing measures [Logical Memory I & II, Digit Span WMS-III, Trail Making Test Parts A & B, COWAT, Animal Naming, and Digit Symbol Substitution] as the standard deviation around a participant’s mean performance. Results There were positive relationships seen with cognitive IIV and HDLC (r=.141, p=<.001), and triglyceride levels (r=.120, p=<.001). One-way ANOVAs revealed differences between racial/ethnic groups on triglyceride levels [F(2,755)=184.98; p<.001; partial eta2= .33], HDCL [F(2,755)=285.79; p<.001; partial eta2= .08], and IIV [F(2,755)=9.53; p<.001; partial eta2= .03]. Post-hoc analysis determined that the Hispanic group showed more cognitive performance inconsistency on testing and higher triglyceride levels, while the non-Hispanic white group showed higher cholesterol levels. The Hispanic group had the lowest levels of cholesterol. Conclusion Differences were noted in cognitive performance consistency and metabolic domains, which suggest utilizing these variables for identifying factors when testing older adults. Future studies on cognitive aging should examine relationships between cognitive performance, cholesterol/triglyceride levels, and ethnic groups to further explore the relationship of health and cognition across different ethnic populations.