The association of poor pulmonary function (PF) with cognitive trajectories and structural brain differences remains unclear. Within the Rush Memory and Aging Project, 1377 dementia-free subjects were followed up to 21 years. PF was assessed with a composite score measured at baseline. Global and domain-specific cognitive function was assessed annually constructed from 19 cognitive tests. A subsample of 351 participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the cross-sectional association between PF and structural brain volumes. We found that low PF was related to faster decline in global cognition, and domain-specific function including episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, visuospatial ability, and perceptual speed. In addition, low PF was associated with smaller volumes of total brain, white matter and gray matter, and larger white matter hyperintensities volume. Our results suggest that low PF is associated with faster cognitive decline, and both neurodegeneration and vascular brain lesions may underlie the association.

中文翻译：

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肺功能与认知能力下降和大脑结构差异有关

肺功能（PF）不良与认知轨迹和大脑结构差异之间的关系仍不清楚。在 Rush Memory and Aging Project 中，对 1377 名没有痴呆症的受试者进行了长达 21 年的随访。PF 通过基线测量的综合评分进行评估。每年根据 19 项认知测试对整体和特定领域的认知功能进行评估。351 名参与者的子样本接受了脑部磁共振成像，以研究 PF 和结构性脑容量之间的横截面关联。我们发现低 PF 与全局认知和特定领域功能（包括情景记忆、语义记忆、工作记忆、视觉空间能力和感知速度）的更快下降有关。此外，低 PF 与全脑、白质和灰质体积较小以及白质高信号体积较大有关。我们的研究结果表明，低 PF 与更快的认知能力下降有关，神经退行性变和血管性脑损伤可能是这种关联的基础。