Cytomegalovirus infection and cognitive abilities in old age

Gow, Alan J.; Firth, Charlotte; Harrison, Rowan; Starr, John M.; Moss, Paul; Deary, Ian J.

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.01.011

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The tasks in this domain involve figure drawing and judgment of line orientation tasks, both requiring visual spatial abilities. This domain was not measured in the tests performed on the population reported by Tarter et al Our findings are also consistent with those of Gow et al [10] who examined the effects of CMV seropositivity on cognitive functioning in an elderly population. In this investigation there was a significant association between CMV exposure and lower cognitive ability on memory tasks, as we found in our study, and in overall cognitive score, also consistent with our results in a younger population.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Association between Cytomegalovirus Antibody Levels and Cognitive Functioning in Non-Elderly Adults

et al. 2014

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BackgroundElevated levels of antibodies to Cytomegalovirus (CMV) have been associated with cognitive impairment, but the quantitative relationship between CMV antibody levels and domains of cognitive functioning in younger adults has not been established.MethodsWe measured IgG class antibodies to Cytomegalovirus in 521 individuals, mean age 32.8 years. Participants were selected for the absence of psychiatric disorder and of a serious medical condition that could affect brain functioning. Cognitive functioning was measured with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail Making Test part A, and the WAIS III Letter Number Sequencing subtest. Linear regression analyses were used to measure the quantitative association between cognitive scores and Cytomegalovirus IgG antibody level. Logistic regression analyses were used to measure the odds of low cognitive scores and elevated antibody levels defined as an antibody level > = 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile of the group.ResultsHigher levels of CMV antibodies were associated with lower performance on RBANS Total (coefficient −1.03, p<.0002), Delayed Memory (coefficient −0.94, p<.001), Visuospatial/Constructional (coefficient −1.77, p<5×10−7), and Letter Number Sequencing (coefficient −0.15, p<.03). There was an incremental relationship between the level of CMV antibody elevation and the odds of a low RBANS Total score. The odds of a low total cognitive score were 1.63 (95th % CI 1.01, 2.64; p<.045), 2.22 (95th % CI 1.33, 3.70; p<.002), and 2.46 (95th % CI 1.24, 4.86; p<.010) with a CMV antibody level greater than or equal to the 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile respectively.ConclusionsHigher levels of Cytomegalovirus antibodies are associated with lower levels of cognitive functioning in non-elderly adults. Methods for the prevention and treatment of CMV infection should be evaluated to determine if they result in an improvement in cognitive functioning in otherwise healthy adults.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…CMV seropositivity has been associated with reduced cognitive functioning [10] and a higher rate of cognitive decline [11] in elderly populations. However, few studies have examined the effect of CMV in non-geriatric adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Cytomegalovirus Antibody Levels and Cognitive Functioning in Non-Elderly Adults

et al. 2014

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“…Similarly, in the seropositive subsample of older adults, higher level of antibodies to CMV was associated with lower general cognitive ability and processing speed. Moreover, CMV-positive subjects had lower cognitive ability than CMV-free controls 10 . Another studies showed that cognitive functioning decreases with increasing viral burden including cytomegalovirus 9,61 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Differences in cognitive functions between cytomegalovirus-infected and cytomegalovirus-free university students: a case control study

Chvátalová

Šebánková

Hrbáčková

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the herpetic virus, which infects 45-100% people worldwide. Many reports suggest that CMV could impair cognitive functions of infected subjects. Here we searched for indices of effects of CMV on infected subjects' intelligence and knowledge. The Intelligence Structure Test I-S-T 2000 R was used to compare IQ of 148 CMV-infected and 135 CMV-free university students. Infected students expressed higher intelligence. Paradoxically, their IQ decreased with decreasing concentration of anti-CMV antibodies, which can be used, statistically, as a proxy of the time passed from the moment of infection in young subjects when the age of subjects is statistically controlled. The paradox of seemingly higher intelligence of CMV infected subjects could be explained by the presence of the subpopulation of about 5-10 % CMV-positive individuals in the population of "CMV-negative students". These false negative subjects had probably not only the oldest infections and therefore the lowest concentration of anamnestic antibodies, but also the lowest intelligence among the infected students.Prevalence of CMV infection in all countries is very high, approaching sometimes 90 %.Therefore, the total impact of CMV on human intelligence may be large.

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“…Irrespective of CMV serostatus, elderly individuals, exhibiting other established hallmarks of an ageing immune system, generally mount less robust immune responses to vaccines compared to young individuals [43]. Aside from influencing responses to novel antigens, CMV infection has also been directly associated with frailty [44] and cognitive impairment [45], and some studies have shown that infection results in earlier mortality [46–48]. …”

Section: Characteristics Of An Ageing Immune Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Regular Exercise Counter T Cell Immunosenescence Reducing the Risk of Developing Cancer and Promoting Successful Treatment of Malignancies?

Turner

Brum

2017

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

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Moderate intensity aerobic exercise training or regular physical activity is beneficial for immune function. For example, some evidence shows that individuals with an active lifestyle exhibit stronger immune responses to vaccination compared to those who are inactive. Encouragingly, poor vaccine responses, which are characteristic of an ageing immune system, can be improved by single or repeated bouts of exercise. In addition, exercise-induced lymphocytosis, and the subsequent lymphocytopenia, is thought to facilitate immune surveillance, whereby lymphocytes search tissues for antigens derived from viruses, bacteria, or malignant transformation. Aerobic exercise training is anti-inflammatory and is linked to lower morbidity and mortality from diseases with infectious, immunological, and inflammatory aetiologies, including cancer. These observations have led to the view that aerobic exercise training might counter the age-associated decline in immune function, referred to as immunosenescence. This article summarises the aspects of immune function that are sensitive to exercise-induced change, highlighting the observations which have stimulated the idea that aerobic exercise training could prevent, limit, or delay immunosenescence, perhaps even restoring aged immune profiles. These potential exercise-induced anti-immunosenescence effects might contribute to the mechanisms by which active lifestyles reduce the risk of developing cancer and perhaps benefit patients undergoing cancer therapy.

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Cytomegalovirus infection and cognitive abilities in old age

Cited by 41 publications

References 26 publications

Association between Cytomegalovirus Antibody Levels and Cognitive Functioning in Non-Elderly Adults

Association between Cytomegalovirus Antibody Levels and Cognitive Functioning in Non-Elderly Adults

Differences in cognitive functions between cytomegalovirus-infected and cytomegalovirus-free university students: a case control study

Does Regular Exercise Counter T Cell Immunosenescence Reducing the Risk of Developing Cancer and Promoting Successful Treatment of Malignancies?

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