NT‐proBNP and changes in cognition and brain structure: the Rotterdam Study

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundTo investigate the association between NT‐proBNP and changes in cognition and brain structure.MethodIn the Rotterdam Study, baseline NT‐proBNP was assessed at baseline from 1997 to 2008. Between 1997‐2016, participants without dementia or stroke at baseline (n = 9,566) had repeated cognitive tests (every 3‐6 years) for global cognitive function, executive cognitive function, fine manual dexterity, and memory. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed repeatedly at re‐examination visits between 2005 and 2015 for 2,607 participants to obtain brain volumes, focal brain lesions, and white matter microstructural integrity as measures of brain structure.ResultAmong 9,566 participants (mean age 65.1±9.8 years), 5,444 (56.9%) were women, and repeated measures of cognition were performed during a median follow‐up time of 5.5 years (range = 1.1‐17.9). For participants with brain imaging data at baseline (mean age 56.8±6.3 years, 55.5% women), repeated scans were completed over a median follow‐up time of 5.6 years (range = 2.8‐8.1). Higher levels of NT‐proBNP were associated with a faster decline of scores in the global cognitive function, the Word‐Fluency test, and the Purdue Pegboard test, but were not related to a steeper deterioration in brain volumes, white matter microstructure, or focal brain lesions.ConclusionHigher baseline NT‐proBNP levels were associated with a faster decline in cognition, but not in structural brain changes. Further studies should focus on the causality of the association between NT‐proBNP and cognition.