Advanced glycosylation end products and cognitive functional impairment in the elderly / 中华神经医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the relationship between advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) and cognitive functional impairment in the elderly. Methods The present investigation enrolled 270 outpatients aged 60 years and above who had presented to the Department of Neurology or Health Check-up Center,Zhujiang Hospital.They were divided into a normal cognition group (n=139) and a cognitive impairment group (n=131) according to Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Their fasting serum was collected to measure AGEs content by fluorimetry in both groups.Associations between their MoCA scores and their age,gender,education and AGEs content were analyzed. Results The AGEs contents were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P＞0.05).The MoCA scores or the detectable rates of cognitive impairment were significantly different among different age groups (P＜0.05),but not between genders (P＞0.05).The detectable rates of cognitive impairment were significantly different among subjects with different educational levels (P＜0.05).Conclusions Age and educational level are significant factors associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly population.Since the serum AGEs level is not linked to the impaired cognitive function in the elderly,it cannot be used as a laboratory index in early diagnosis of Alzheimer disease.