Credit: Original article published here.
A new study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found an association between common infections and poor cognitive performance. The research was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Senior author and professor at the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health, Adam Spira, PhD, stated: “The idea that common infections could contribute to cognitive decline and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease risk was once on the fringe and remains controversial, but due to findings like the ones from this study, it’s starting to get more mainstream attention.”
Dr. Spira and his research team analyzed the antibody levels of five common pathogens which included: herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus, varicella zoster virus, and Toxoplasma gondii. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and delayed verbal recall performance were evaluated in 575 adults aged 41 to 97 years who donated blood for testing as part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study.
Researchers employed multivariable-adjusted zero-inflated Poisson regression models to analyze the data. The results showed that having positive antibody tests for CMV (P =0.011) and herpes simplex virus (P =0.018) were individually linked to poorer performance on the MMSE. Additionally, the study found that having a greater number of positive antibody tests among the five tested pathogens was associated with worse performance on the MMSE (P =0.001).
The study analyzed pathogens that are typically encountered during childhood and can either be eliminated or remain in a latent state. Therefore, researchers regarded substantial levels of antibodies against these pathogens in older participants as probable signs of their reactivation due to the weakening of the immune system with age.
“After accounting for participants’ age, sex, race, and the largest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, the data in our study showed that a greater number of positive antibody tests related to five different infections was associated with poorer cognitive performance,” said Dr. Spira.
