Association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and memory function in nondemented older adults

Neurobiol Aging. 2017 Feb 3;53:76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.01.018. [Epub ahead of print]

Wyman CP¹, Gale SD², Hedges-Muncy A¹, Erickson LD³, Wilson E⁴, Hedges DW⁵.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity may be associated with decreased memory in older adults. To further investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity and memory in nondemented older adults, we obtained serum samples from 114 nondemented older adults evaluated by the Alzheimer's Disease and Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. We determined T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titer and examined associations with memory function while controlling for socioeconomic status, education level, age, and apolipoprotein E4 status. There were few associations between T. gondii seropositivity or anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and memory, although there was some support suggesting an interaction between anti-T. gondii and sex. In the seropositive-only sample, there was an inverse relationship between anti-T. gondii titer and performance on the selective reminding test. Overall, we found little evidence of an association between impaired memory function and T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in this sample of nondemented older adults.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Aging; Memory; Neurocognitive function; Toxoplasma gondii; Toxoplasmosis

PMID:

28235681

DOI:

10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.01.018