Association of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol With Cognitive Function: Findings From the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk

Journal of Aging and Health, vol. 32, pp. 1267–1274

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to examine whether variability in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) over time was associated with cognitive function. Method: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) trial. Our sample included 4,428 participants with at least two repeated HDL-c measures between Months 3 and 24 postbaseline and with cognitive assessments at Month 30. HDL-c variability was defined as the intraindividual standard deviation over each person’s repeated measurements. Results: Higher HDL-c variability was associated with worse performance on the Letter-Digit Coding Test (β [95% confidence interval] [CI] = −4.39 [−7.36, −1.43], p = .004), immediate recall on the 15-Picture Learning Test (β [95% CI] = −0.98 [−1.86, −0.11], p = .027), and delayed recall on the 15-Picture Learning Test (β [95% CI] = −1.90 [−3.14, −0.67], p = .002). The associations did not vary by treatment group. Discussion: Our findings suggest that variability in HDL-c may be associated with poor cognitive function among older adults.

Authors 12

1. Leslie Grasset

   Université de Bordeaux · Inserm · Bordeaux Population Health · Centre d'Investigation Clinique Plurithématique de Bordeaux

   Affiliation as printed

   CIC1401-EC, F-33000, Inserm, Bordeaux, France

   University of Bordeaux, Inserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Team VINTAGE, Bordeaux, France

2. Roelof A. J. Smit Aachen Department of Cardiology Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine Leiden University Medical Center

   Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Cardiology, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

   Department of Internal Medicine Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherland

3. Michelle R. Caunca

   University of Miami

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, FL

4. Tali Elfassy

   University of Miami

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, FL

5. Michelle C. Odden

   Stanford University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

6. Jeroen van der Grond Aachen Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center

   Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

7. Mark A. van Buchem Aachen Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center

   Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

8. David J. Stott

   University of Glasgow

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK

9. Naveed A. Sattar

   British Heart Foundation · University of Glasgow

   Affiliation as printed

   British Heart Foundation, Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, UK

10. Stella Trompet Aachen Department of Cardiology Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine Leiden University Medical Center

    Leiden University Medical Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Cardiology, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Department of Internal Medicine Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherland

11. J. Wouter Jukema Aachen Department of Cardiology Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine

    Leiden University Medical Center · Netherlands Heart Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Cardiology, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Interuniversity Cardiology Institute Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands

12. Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri corresponding

    Columbia University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, NYC, NY