There is evidence that there is a relationship between markers indicating cardiac damage and cognitive function in patients with cardiovascular disease. The researchers hypothesized that high levels of cardiac troponin T with increased sensitivity (high-sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T – hs-cTnT) are associated with cognitive function and cognitive deterioration in a population of healthy elderly.
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The study included 1,226 healthy subjects aged 60 years and older from the Berlin Aging Study II. The patients were recruited from the general population of Berlin and its surroundings between 2009-2014. At baseline, hs-cTnT levels were measured and cognitive tests included in the extended Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD-Plus) test battery were performed. In addition, the subjects performed a DSST testJ(Digit Symbol Substitution Test) at baseline and in a follow-up test (7.3±1.4 years after the initial test). The results of the CERAD test were summarized according to four cognitive centers (processing speed, executive functions, visual construction and memory). After summing the scores, the researchers calculated standardized Z scores. They also performed standardized and unstandardized linear regression to analyze the relationship between hs-cTnT and cognitive functions. They used mixed linear models to find the relationship between hs-cTnT and cognitive decline according to the changes in DSST scores over time.
The average age of subjects at the time of recruitment to the study was 68.5±3.6 years, of which 49% were women and had median hs-cTnT levels of 6 ng/L (interquartile range of 4-8 ng/L). The results of the study did not demonstrate A significant relationship between hs-cTnT levels and various cognitive characteristics at baseline, after adjustment for age, sex, education level and cardiovascular risk factors. hs-cTnT level was found to be associated with cognitive decline, which remained statistically significant after full adjustment (standardized beta coefficient of -0.82, gain (95% confidence interval, -1.28 to -0.36; p=0.001).After stratifying by sex, the association between hs-cTnT remained statistically significant in men but not in women.
The researchers’ conclusion was that higher levels of hs-cTnT in elderly men are associated with cognitive decline, as measured by the DSST.
source:
von Rennenberg R, Liman T, Nolte CH, Nave AH, Scheitz JF, Düzel S, Regitz-Zagrosek V, Gerstorf D, Steinhagen-Thiessen E, Demuth I, Endres M. High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: Results of the Berlin Aging Study II. Gerontology. 2023;69(2):140-148. doi: 10.1159/000523845. Epub 2022 May 5. PMID: 35512662.