- Studies in humans have shown that greater exposure to microbial infections during one’s lifetime is associated with a greater decline in cognitive function with aging.
- A new animal study assessed the impact of inflammation caused by repeated microbial infections on cognitive function by intermittently administering the inflammation-inducing bacterial toxin,
lipopolysaccharide , to mice. - The study found that mild-to-moderate inflammation induced by repeat lipopolysaccharide administration resulted in deficits in memory and learning in early middle-aged mice.
- These findings in agings mice suggest that mild-to-moderate sickness caused due to microbial infections may need more aggressive treatment than the current standard of care, especially in populations vulnerable to cognitive impairment, such as elderly individuals.
Medical advice for individuals with mild-to-moderate infections generally involves getting adequate rest and increasing fluid intake. Interestingly, a recent study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity suggests that repeated inflammation caused by the administration of a bacterial toxin to middle-aged mice led to cognitive deficits. These cognitive deficits were also accompanied by changes in the plasticity of neurons in the hippocampus, a region that plays a central role in learning and memory.
Elderly individuals are more susceptible to microbial infections, and such infections could worsen the decline in cognitive function in these individuals, leading to mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
The findings of the present study suggest that more aggressive treatments could be necessary for older adults to prevent the lasting effects of these infections on cognitive function. However, it is important to note that this study was conducted in a mouse model, and the generalizability of these results to humans is not yet known.
A decline in certain cognitive abilities is observed over the course of normal aging and is a consequence of the…
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