AUTHOR=Packer Amy , Corbett Anne , Arathimos Ryan , Ballard Clive , Aarsland Dag , Hampshire Adam , Dima Danai , Creese Byron , Malanchini Margherita , Powell Timothy R. 

TITLE=Limited evidence of a shared genetic relationship between C-reactive protein levels and cognitive function in older UK adults of European ancestry

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Dementia

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/dementia/articles/10.3389/frdem.2023.1093223

DOI=10.3389/frdem.2023.1093223

ISSN=2813-3919

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Previous studies have shown associations between cognitive function and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in older adults. Few studies have considered the extent to which a genetic predisposition for higher CRP levels contributes to this association.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Data was analyzed from 7,817 UK participants aged &gt;50 years as part of the PROTECT study, within which adults without dementia completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. We constructed a polygenic risk score (PRS-CRP) that explained 9.61% of the variance in serum CRP levels (<italic>p</italic> = 2.362 × 10<sup>−7</sup>) in an independent cohort. Regressions were used to explore the relationship between PRS-CRP and cognitive outcomes.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>We found no significant associations between PRS-CRP and any cognitive measures in the sample overall. In older participants (&gt;62 years), we observed a significant positive association between PRS-CRP and self-ordered search score (i.e., spatial working memory).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Whilst our results indicate a weak positive relationship between PRS-CRP and spatial working memory that is specific to older adults, overall, there appears to be no strong effects of PRS-CRP on cognitive function.</p></sec>