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Interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein as predictors of cognitive decline in late midlife
Singh-Manoux A, Dugravot A, Brunner E, Kumari M, Shipley M, Elbaz A, Kivimaki M.. Neurology, 2014-07-02
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective Peripheral inflammatory markers are elevated in patients with dementia. In order to assess their etiologic role, we examined whether interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measured in midlife predict concurrently assessed cognition and subsequent cognitive decline. Methods Mean value of IL-6 and CRP, assessed on 5,217 persons (27.9% women) in 1991-1993 and 1997-1999 in the Whitehall II longitudinal cohort study, were categorized into tertiles to examine 10-year decline (assessments in 1997-1999, 2002-2004, and 2007-2009) in standardized scores (mean = 0, SD = 1) of memory, reasoning, and verbal fluency using mixed models.
Key findings
- In order to assess their etiologic role, we examined whether interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measured in midlife predict concurrently assessed cognition and subsequent cognitive decline.
- Methods Mean value of IL-6 and CRP, assessed on 5,217 persons (27.9% women) in 1991-1993 and 1997-1999 in the Whitehall II longitudinal cohort study, were categorized into tertiles to examine 10-year decline (assessments in 1997-1999, 2002-2004, and 2007-2009) in standardized scores (mean = 0, SD = 1) of memory, reasoning, and verbal fluency using mixed models.
- Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered in 2002-2004 and 2007-2009; decline ≥3 points was modeled with logistic regression.
- Analyses were adjusted for baseline age, sex, education, and ethnicity; further analyses were also adjusted for smoking, obesity, Framingham cardiovascular risk score, and chronic diseases (cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression).
Why it matters
This cohort study examined whether midlife interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein predict cognitive decline. It investigates possible etiologic markers and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants5,217
- Effect size27.9%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 71/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 5,217 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 237 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.9 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 7 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 66 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Mika Kivimäki: h-index 208 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24991031) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 71 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Singh-Manoux, A., Dugravot, A., Brunner, E., Kumari, M., Shipley, M., Elbaz, A., et al. (2014). Interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein as predictors of cognitive decline in late midlife. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000000665
Vancouver
Singh-Manoux A, Dugravot A, Brunner E, Kumari M, Shipley M, Elbaz A, et al. Interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein as predictors of cognitive decline in late midlife. Neurology. 2014. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000000665. PMID: 24991031.
BibTeX
@article{singhmanoux2014-24991031,
author = {Singh-Manoux, A. and Dugravot, A. and Brunner, E. and Kumari, M. and Shipley, M. and Elbaz, A. and Kivimaki, M.},
title = {{Interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein as predictors of cognitive decline in late midlife}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000000665},
pmid = {24991031},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000000665}
}
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