A Correlation between Neurocognitive Impairments and Serum Lipid Levels among the Korean Elderly / 신경정신의학

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: In this study, the authors evaluated the correlation between neurocognitive impairments and serum lipids levels among Korean elderly over the age of 65. METHODS: A total of 609 elderly individuals participated in this study. Screening for cognitive impairments were carried out using the Mini-Mental Status Examination-Korean version (MMSE-KC). There were 197 subjects above 1.5SD of MMSEKC and they were evaluated using the Korean versions of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (AD)(CERAD-KC) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-K). RESULTS: There was a correlation between old age/low levels of education and AD (p<0.05, p<0.01). There was an inverse correlation between the serum level of total cholesterol and the word list recognition test scores. The serum levels of LDL cholesterol were inversely correlated with the scores on the constructional praxis test, word list recall test and word list recognition test. Inverse correlations between the serum level of triglyceride and scores on the word list recall test and word list recognition test were also observed. CONCLUSION: There were inverse correlations between the serum levels of lipids and language/memory function in subjects with AD.