Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been linked to a heightened risk of mood, behavioral, and neurological disorders. Limited research has focused on cognitive function in these patients, with inconsistent findings. We aimed to assess mild cognitive impairment in IBD patients compared to healthy controls (HC) matched for age, sex, and education. Methods This single-center observational study included adult IBD patients. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Clinical remission was defined as a Harvey-Bradshaw Index <5 for Crohn’s disease (CD) and a Partial Mayo Score <2 for ulcerative colitis (UC). Healthy controls were recruited from friends and relatives of the physicians involved in the study. Exclusion criteria included psychiatric or neurological disorders, language barriers, sleep disturbances, previous surgery, significant comorbidities, alcohol abuse, and use of steroids or other neuropsychologically active medications within 3 months before enrollment. Cognitive function was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), with a score >26 considered normal. Anxiety and depression were screened using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical analyses included the Mann-Whitney rank-sum or t-test for continuous variables and the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. Multiple logistic regression was employed to identify baseline clinical-psychometric factors associated with abnormal MoCA scores. Results A total of 112 IBD patients (57 CD and 55 UC) and 68 HC were enrolled. No significant differences were observed between IBD patients and HC regarding sex (p=0.231), age (p=0.248), or education (p=0.267). A significantly higher proportion of IBD patients had a pathological MoCA compared to HC (58% vs. 41%, p=0.033), even after excluding individuals with probable anxiety or depression as identified by HADS (46% vs. 24%, p=0.021). UC patients scored lower in the memory domain than HC (mean score 2.4 vs. 3.2, p=0.041). Factors associated with a pathological MoCA included age (p=0.032), education (p=0.002), and UC (p=0.034). In multivariate analysis, age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1-1.1, p=0.015) and UC (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-5.3, p=0.039) emerged as independent predictors of a pathological MoCA. Conclusion IBD patients exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of mild cognitive impairment compared to controls, as measured by the MoCA. Specifically, UC patients demonstrated impairments in the memory domain. Our findings support the concept of a gut-brain axis and suggest that colonic, rather than small bowel inflammation may play a role in the development of cognitive impairment in IBD. A multidisciplinary approach to IBD management should incorporate cognitive function assessment.
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