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Cited by 19Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus researchDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchHIV Research and Treatment

Association of common infections with cognitive performance in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study follow-up

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Wennberg, Alexandra M., Maher, Brion S., Rabinowitz, Jill A., Holingue, Calliope, Felder, W. Ross, Wells, Jonathan L., Munro, Cynthia A., Lyketsos, Constantine G. +6 more·2023·Alzheimer's & Dementia
DOI 10.1002/alz.13070PMC PMC10558626
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Abstract

Introduction: Growing evidence suggests that some common infections are causally associated with cognitive impairment; however, less is known about the burden of multiple infections. Methods: We investigated the cross‐sectional association of positive antibody tests for herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), and Toxoplasma gondii (TOX) with Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and delayed verbal recall performance in 575 adults aged 41–97 from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Results: In multivariable‐adjusted zero‐inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression models, positive antibody tests for CMV (p = .011) and herpes simplex virus (p = .018) were individually associated with poorer MMSE performance (p = .011). A greater number of positive antibody tests among the five tested was associated with worse MMSE performance (p = .001). Discussion: CMV, herpes simplex virus, and the global burden of multiple common infections were independently associated with poorer cognitive performance. Additional research that investigates whether the global burden of infection predicts cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease biomarker changes is needed to confirm these findings.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wennberg, A. M., Maher, B. S., Rabinowitz, J. A., Holingue, C., Felder, W. R., Wells, J. L., Munro, C. A., Lyketsos, C. G., Eaton, W. W., Walker, K. A., Weng, N., Ferrucci, L., Yolken, R., & Spira, A. P.
Affiliations
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Kennedy Krieger Institute (US)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
  • National Institute on Aging (US)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Wennberg, Alexandra M.
ORCID
Venue
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2023-04-07
Volume
19
Issue
11
Pages
4841-4851
ISSN
  • 1552-5260 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-5279
DOI
10.1002/alz.13070
PMC
PMC10558626
OpenAlex
W4362692390
Cited by
19
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3
FWCI
3.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2026-01-10)
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Alzheimer s & Dementia (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG075996, U01AG052445, R01AG065171, P30AG066507)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH 47447)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Virology › HIV Research and Treatment
Keywords
common infections, cognitive performance
MeSH terms
Adult, Cognition, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cytomegalovirus Infections, Cytomegalovirus, Herpesvirus 4, Human, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Herpesvirus 3, Human, Baltimore, Epstein-Barr Virus Infections

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