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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1363373
This article is part of the Research Topic Neuroimmune Communication in Inflammatory and Allergic Diseases View all 7 articles

Potential association between obstructive lung diseases and cognitive decline

Provisionally accepted
Magdalena Figat Magdalena Figat 1*Aleksandra Wiśniewska Aleksandra Wiśniewska 2Jacek Plichta Jacek Plichta 1Joanna Miłkowska-Dymanowska Joanna Miłkowska-Dymanowska 3Sebastian Majewski Sebastian Majewski 3Michał S. Karbownik Michał S. Karbownik 4Piotr Kuna Piotr Kuna 1Michal G. Panek Michal G. Panek 1
  • 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
  • 2 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Ist Chair of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
  • 3 Department of Pneumology and Allergy , Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
  • 4 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Chronic obstructive lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, appear to have a more extensive impact on overall functioning than previously believed. The latest data from clinical trials suggests a potential link between cognitive deterioration and chronic obstructive inflammatory lung disease. This raises the question of whether these diseases affect cognitive functions and whether any relevant biomarker may be identified.Methods: This prospective observational study included 78 patients divided equally into asthma, COPD, and control groups (n=26, 27 and 25 respectively). The participants underwent identical examinations at the beginning of the study and after at least 12 months. The test battery comprised 16 questionnaires (11 self-rated, 5 observer-rated, assessing cognition and mental state), spirometry, and blood samples taken for PKA and CREB mRNA evaluation.Results: A 2.3-fold increase in CREB mRNA was observed between examinations (p=0.014) for all participants; no distinctions were observed between the asthma, COPD, and control groups. Pooled, adjusted data revealed a borderline interaction between diagnosis and CREB expression in predicting MMSE (p=0.055) in COPD, CREB expression is also associated with MMSE (=0.273, p=0.034) like with the other conducted tests (=0.327, p=0.024) from COPD patients.No correlations were generally found for PKA, although one significant negative correlation was found between the first and second time points in the COPD group (=-0.4157, p=0.049,).. Discussion: Chronic obstructive lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, may have some linkage to impairment of cognitive functions. However, the noted rise in CREB mRNA expression might suggest a potential avenue for assessing possible changes in cognition, especially in COPD; such findings may reveal additional transcription factors linked to cognitive decline.

    Keywords: neurodegeneration, Asthma, COPD, Cognition, PKA, CREB, Inflammation, brainlungs crosstalk

    Received: 30 Dec 2023; Accepted: 05 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Figat, Wiśniewska, Plichta, Miłkowska-Dymanowska, Majewski, Karbownik, Kuna and Panek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Magdalena Figat, Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland

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