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Associations Between Plasma Metals and Cognitive Function in People Aged 60 and Above

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Abstract

The objective of the study was to explore the relationship between the plasma levels of 22 metals and cognition status in older adults aged 60 years and above. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 2018 and 2019. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to detect the concentrations of metals, and a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) questionnaire was used to estimate the cognition status of the elderly. Based on the years of education and MMSE scores, the participants were separated into the normal and impaired cognition groups. Lasso regression, logistic regression, and restricted cubic spline models were used to explore the relationship between the metals and cognitive status. A total of 1667 subjects were included in the study, and 333 (19.97%) of the participants had impaired cognition. Then, 12 metals, including Al, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, and Sb were selected by lasso regression. Before the multivariate adjustment, Al and Cu were associated with the risk of increasing cognitive impairment (OR = 1.756, 95% CI: 1.166–2.646, P = 0.007; OR = 1.519, 95% CI: 1.050–2.197, P = 0.026, respectively). By contrast, Rb was associated with a decrease in the risk of cognitive impairment (OR = 0.626, 95% CI: 0.427–0.918, P = 0.017), but Cd was significantly associated with an increase in this risk (OR = 1.456, 95% CI: 1.003–2.114, P = 0.048). After multivariate adjustment, only Al (OR = 1.533, 95% CI: 1.000–2.350, P = 0.050) maintained a borderline difference with the risk of cognitive impairment. A significant positive correlation was found between the risk of cognitive impairment and Al, Cu, and Cd, contrary to the negative correlation found with Rb.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to express their gratitude to all the participants and cooperating units who helped in completing this study.

Funding

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 81760577, 81960583, and 81560523), the Guangxi Science and Technology Development Project (Grant Nos. AD 17129003 and 18050005), the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation for Innovation Research Team (2019GXNSFGA245002), and Guangxi Scholarship Fund of Guangxi Education Department of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China

    Junling Zhang, Qiumei Liu, Min Xu, Jiansheng Cai, Yanfei Wei, Yinxia Lin, Xiaoting Mo, Shenxiang Huang, Shuzhen Liu, Huaxiang Lu, Jian Qin & Zhiyong Zhang

  2. Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, Guangxi, China

    Chunbao Mo, Tingyu Mai, Dechan Tan, Weiyi Pang & Zhiyong Zhang

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  1. Junling Zhang
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  2. Qiumei Liu
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  3. Min Xu
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  4. Jiansheng Cai
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  15. Jian Qin
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  16. Zhiyong Zhang
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Contributions

All authors designed the study and collected samples. Junling Zhang, Qiumei Liu, Min Xu, Yanfei Wei, Yinxia Lin, Xiaoting Mo, Shenxiang Huang, and Shuzhen Liu measured trace element; Junling Zhang and Qiumei Liu drafted the manuscript; professor Jian Qin and Zhiyong Zhang supervised this study.

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Correspondence to Jian Qin or Zhiyong Zhang.

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Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Guangxi Medical University. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Zhang, J., Liu, Q., Xu, M. et al. Associations Between Plasma Metals and Cognitive Function in People Aged 60 and Above. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 3126–3137 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02941-6

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