Key result
Critically low HDL-C links to worse working memory and recall, mitigated by higher cognitive reserve.
Why the study?
The relation of HDL-C level to cognitive performance and its interaction with cognitive reserve markers in older adults was not well understood.
Does a critically low HDL-C level relate to lower cognitive performance in older adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=701)
Does a critically low HDL-C level relate to lower cognitive performance in older adults?
Cognitive reserve accumulated during the life course may reduce the detrimental influences of a critically low HDL-C level on cognitive functioning in old age.
Critically low HDL-C should not change practice in older adults; leaves open whether cognitive reserve buffers risks in prospective studies.
AIMS: The present study set out to investigate the relation of the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level to cognitive performance and its interplay with key markers of cognitive reserve in a large sample of older adults. METHODS: We assessed tests of working memory, immediate and delayed cued recall in 701 older adults from Amazonas, Brazil. The HDL-C level was derived from fasting blood samples. In addition, we interviewed individuals on their education, past occupation, and cognitive leisure activity. RESULTS: A critically low HDL-C level (<40 mg/dL) was significantly related to lower performance in working memory, immediate and delayed cued recall. Moderation analyses suggested that the relations of the HDL-C level to working memory and delayed cued recall were negligible in individuals with longer education, a higher cognitive level of the job, and greater engagement in cognitive leisure activity. CONCLUSION: Cognitive reserve accumulated during the life course may reduce the detrimental influences of a critically low HDL-C level on cognitive functioning in old age.
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Ihle et al. (2017) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitive performance (n=701). Critically low HDL-C level (<40 mg/dL) vs. Higher HDL-C levels was evaluated on Working memory, immediate and delayed cued recall. A critically low HDL-C level (<40 mg/dL) was significantly related to lower performance in working memory and cued recall, an effect mitigated by higher cognitive reserve.
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