BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to test whether C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a proxy measure of inflammation, is elevated in people with higher child and adulthood affective symptoms and whether elevated CRP predicts midlife cognitive function. METHODS Data were used from the National Child Development Study (n = 6276). Measures of memory, verbal fluency, information processing speed and accuracy were available in midlife (age 50). Affective symptoms were assessed in childhood (ages 7, 11, 16) and in adulthood (ages 23, 33, 42, 50). The level of plasma CRP was measured at age 44. Pathway models, unadjusted and fully adjusted for sex, education, childhood socioeconomic position, childhood cognitive ability and affective symptoms at age 50, were fitted to test direct associations between affective symptoms and midlife cognitive function, and indirect associations via the inflammatory pathway (CRP level). RESULTS In a fully adjusted model, there were significant indirect associations between adult affective symptoms and immediate memory (β=-0.01, SE=0.003, p=.03) and delayed memory (β=-0.01, SE=0.004, p=.03) via CRP. In addition, there were significant indirect associations between affective symptoms in childhood and immediate memory (β=-0.001, SE=0.00, p=.03) and delayed memory (β=-0.001, SE=0.001, p=.03), via adult affective symptoms and associated CRP. Independent of CRP, there was a significant direct association between adult affective symptoms and information processing errors (β=0.47, SE=0.21, p=.02). There were no direct or indirect associations between affective symptoms and verbal fluency or information processing speed. CONCLUSIONS CRP at age 44 is elevated in people with higher affective symptoms from age 7 to 42, and elevated CRP is associated with poorer immediate and delayed memory at age 50.

中文翻译：

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情感症状的积累和中年认知功能：炎症的作用


背景本研究的目的是测试 C 反应蛋白 (CRP)（炎症的替代指标）在儿童和成年情感症状较重的人群中是否升高，以及 CRP 升高是否预示中年认知功能。方法 使用的数据来自国家儿童发展研究 (n = 6276)。记忆力、语言流畅性、信息处理速度和准确性的测量可在中年（50 岁）进行。在儿童期（7、11、16 岁）和成年期（23、33、42、50 岁）评估情感症状。在 44 岁时测量血浆 CRP 水平。在 50 岁时，对未调整和完全调整性别、教育、儿童社会经济地位、儿童认知能力和情感症状的通路模型进行拟合，以测试情感症状与中年认知功能之间的直接关联，以及通过炎症途径（CRP 水平）的间接关联。结果 在完全调整的模型中，成人情感症状与即时记忆（β=-0.01，SE=0.003，p=.03）和延迟记忆（β=-0.01，SE=0.004，p=.03）之间存在显着的间接关联。 03) 通过 CRP。此外，儿童时期的情感症状与即时记忆（β=-0.001，SE=0.00，p=.03）和延迟记忆（β=-0.001，SE=0.001，p=.03）之间存在显着的间接关联。通过成人情感症状和相关的 CRP。独立于 CRP，成人情感症状和信息处理错误之间存在显着的直接关联（β=0.47，SE=0.21，p=.02）。情感症状与言语流利度或信息处理速度之间没有直接或间接的关联。 结论 7 至 42 岁期间情感症状较重的人在 44 岁时 CRP 升高，而 CRP 升高与 50 岁时即时记忆和延迟记忆较差有关。