A recent study has uncovered a link between high cholesterol levels and cognitive impairment in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings suggest that managing cholesterol through medication or lifestyle changes could be a potential avenue for addressing cognitive decline associated with MS.
The research, published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, investigated the relationship between lipid levels and cognitive function in 211 MS patients. The study highlights the growing recognition of cognitive impairments as a significant challenge in MS, impacting memory, language, and overall quality of life.
Study Details and Findings
Researchers in the Czech Republic analyzed lipid profiles, focusing on cholesterol, in MS patients who underwent cognitive testing. A total of 361 timepoints were assessed, as some patients had repeated lipid and cognitive tests. The team, led by researchers, aimed to investigate the association between adverse lipid profiles and cognitive performance using standardized cognitive scales in a large sample of patients with MS.
The results indicated that higher cholesterol levels correlated with poorer performance on specific cognitive measures. Elevated LDL cholesterol, often referred to as "bad" cholesterol, was associated with worse scores on the Categorical Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), which measures word-based learning, and lower scores on the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), a memory test. Conversely, higher HDL cholesterol, or "good" cholesterol, was linked to diminished performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3 (PASAT-3), a measure of auditory processing and mathematical ability.
Implications and Future Directions
While the study established a statistically significant association between cholesterol levels and cognitive scores, the researchers emphasized that the correlation's extent was modest. Statistical models indicated that cholesterol levels accounted for less than 6% of the variation in cognitive scores.
Despite the modest effect size, the researchers suggest that interventions targeting cholesterol levels could be explored as a strategy to manage cognitive problems in MS. They noted that both lifestyle modifications and medications can influence cholesterol levels, making this a potentially modifiable risk factor.
"Our study confirms the association between adverse lipid profile and worse cognitive performance in [people with] MS," the authors wrote. "However, the degree of pathophysiological relevance was small, as the lipid measures explained only 1.4 % to 5.8 % of the variance in cognitive performance."
The team concluded that further research is warranted to investigate the clinical relevance of managing cholesterol levels to improve cognitive outcomes in MS patients. "Given that serum lipids levels may be influenced not only by lifestyle interventions, but also by medication further research in this area may have an important clinical relevance," the team wrote.
