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Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Is Associated With Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Department of Psychology School of Exercise Leisure and Sport, The Exercise Science Laboratory, Kent State University, Kent, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Neuropsychological Studies, jgunstad{at}kent.edu

Andreana Benitez, MS

Department of Psychology School of Exercise Leisure and Sport, The Exercise Science Laboratory

Joseph Smith

Department of Psychology School of Exercise Leisure and Sport, The Exercise Science Laboratory

Ellen Glickman, PhD

School of Exercise Leisure and Sport, The Exercise Science Laboratory

Mary B. Spitznagel, PhD

Department of Psychology School of Exercise Leisure and Sport, The Exercise Science Laboratory, Kent State University, Kent, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Neuropsychological Studies

Thomas Alexander, PhD

Department of Pathology Summa Health System, Akron

Judi Juvancic-Heltzel, MS

School of Exercise Leisure and Sport, The Exercise Science Laboratory

Leigh Murray, PhD

Department of Physical Therapy, Walsh University, North Canton Ohio

Cognitive decline is common in older adults, even in the absence of significant medical or neurological conditions. Recent work implicates serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in age-related cognitive decline, though no study has directly examined this possibility. A total of 35 older adults without neurological history underwent fasting blood draw and completed a brief neuropsychological test battery during a single session. After adjusting for demographic and medical confounds, higher serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels were associated with better performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (r = .36) and short form of the Boston Naming Test (r = .39). These findings extend work from Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia samples and indicate that higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are associated with better neuropsychological function in healthy older adults. The exact mechanisms for this relationship are unknown and require further examination.

Key Words: cognition • brain-derived neurotrophic factor • elderly

This version was published on September 1, 2008

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 21, No. 3, 166-170 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0891988708316860


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