Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012;33(6):410-5.
doi: 10.1159/000339956. Epub 2012 Jul 17.

Leptin and cognition

Matthew W Warren  1 , Linda S Hynan, Myron F Weiner
Affiliations

Leptin and cognition

Matthew W Warren et al. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2012.

Abstract

Background: Leptin has been reported to have positive effects on cognition but has not been studied in a population-based sample or stratified by race or gender.

Methods: Leptin and fat mass were measured in 2,731 subjects, including 50% African Americans. Eight years later, subjects were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Demographic factors and baseline measures, including a deficiency in leptin or levels in excess of what was predicted by fat, were investigated to see which predicted cognitive performance.

Results: There was a statistical trend for lower leptin levels to be associated with higher cognitive scores. Once stratified by race and gender, excessive leptin was associated with lower MoCA total scores and delayed recall domain score for black men, but white men demonstrated a reverse relationship.

Conclusion: Excess leptin appears to have differential effects on delayed recall in black and white men.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Whitmer RA, Gunderson EP, Barrett-Connor E, Quesenberry CP, Jr, Yaffe K. Obesity in middle age and future risk of dementia: A 27 year longitudinal population based study. BMJ. 2005;330:1360. doi: 10.1136/bmj.38446.466238.E0. bmj.38446.466238.E0 [pii] - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beydoun MA, Beydoun HA, Wang Y. Obesity and central obesity as risk factors for incident dementia and its subtypes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2008;9:204–218. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00473.x. OBR473 [pii] - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hassing LB, Dahl AK, Pedersen NL, Johansson B. Overweight in midlife is related to lower cognitive function 30 years later: A prospective study with longitudinal assessments. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2010;29:543–552. doi: 10.1159/000314874. 000314874 [pii] - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buchman AS, Wilson RS, Bienias JL, Shah RC, Evans DA, Bennett DA. Change in body mass index and risk of incident alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2005;65:892–897. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000176061.33817.90. 65/6/892 [pii] - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cronk BB, Johnson DK, Burns JM. Body mass index and cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2009 doi: 10.1097/WAD.0b013e3181a6bf3f. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources