Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases
Volume 15, Issue 1 , Pages 34-38, January 2006

Interleukin-6 Is Associated With Cognitive Function: The Northern Manhattan Study

  • Clinton B. Wright, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to Clinton Wright, MD, Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, NI-Room 640, 710 W168th Street, New York, NY 10032.
    • ,
  • Ralph L. Sacco, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
    • ,
  • Tatjana R. Rundek, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • ,
  • Joshua B. Delman

      Affiliations

    • Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • ,
  • LeRoy E. Rabbani, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • ,
  • Mitchell S.V. Elkind, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
    • Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York

Received 8 August 2005; accepted 16 August 2005.

Inflammation has been linked to cognitive decline and dementia, but the mechanism for this is not clear, and few studies have included Hispanic and black subjects who may be at increased risk for these disorders. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the association between inflammatory marker levels and cognition in the stroke-free population-based cohort of the Northern Manhattan Study. Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores were the continuous outcome, and we adjusted for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors as well as subclinical atherosclerosis. Of the inflammatory markers, only interleukin (IL)-6 levels were associated with the MMSE. In univariate analysis, age, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, moderate alcohol use, total homocysteine, carotid intima media thickness, and body mass index were positively associated with IL-6 levels. Hispanic ethnicity, less than a high school education, hypertension, cardiac disease, and total homocysteine were associated with lower MMSE scores. In a multivariate linear regression model, IL-6 was negatively associated with MMSE score adjusting for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors. We conclude that IL-6 levels were negatively associated with performance on the MMSE in this multiethnic cohort. Adjusting for vascular disease and subclinical atherosclerosis did not attenuate the association, suggesting a direct effect on the brain.

Key Words:  Cytokines , interleukin-6 , Mini-Mental State Exam , cognition

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 Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (5 K12 RR176548-02), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01 NS 29993, R01 NS 48134, K23 NS42912, and T32 NS 07153), and the Irving General Clinical Research Center (2 M01 RR00645).

PII: S1052-3057(05)00087-X

doi:10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2005.08.009

Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases
Volume 15, Issue 1 , Pages 34-38, January 2006

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