Association Between GlycA and Cognitive Function

Inflammation is associated with poor cognitive performance. GlycA is a novel marker of systemic inflammation, but information on GlycA and cognition is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the association between GlycA and cognitive performance in a large sample from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). In this cross-sectional study, participants with GlycA measured at baseline were included. Cognitive function was evaluated using the word list test, the trail-making test, and the semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tests. The association of GlycA with cognitive performance was investigated using linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical variables. A total of 4327 participants were analyzed (mean age=51.5±9.0 y old, 54% were female, 60% white). The mean GlycA was 414.9±69.8 µmol/L. Higher GlycA levels were associated with lower global cognitive performance, even after adjustments for confounders and C-reactive protein. Higher GlycA levels were associated with lower performance in language and executive function domains (language: β=−0.005, 95% confidence interval CI=−0.010, −0.001, P =0.01; and executive function: β=−0.005, 95% confidence interval=0.009, −0.001, P =0.02]. GlycA was associated with worse cognitive performance in the ELSA-Brasil study, independent of C-reactive protein levels. GlycA may be a potential biomarker for cognitive impairment.