Research advances in the influence of lipid metabolism on cognitive impairment

Abstract

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a mental disorder related to cognition and understanding, which is mainly categorized into mild CI and senile dementia. This disease is associated with multiple factors, such as chronic brain injury, aging, chronic systemic disease, mental state, and psychological factors. However, the pathological mechanism of CI remains unclear; it is usually associated with such underlying diseases as diabetes and hyperlipidemia. It has been demonstrated that abundant lipid metabolism indexes in the human body are closely related to CI, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein, and so forth. As a crucial risk factor for CI, hyperlipidemia is of great significance in the occurrence and development of CI. However, the specific correlation between dyslipidemia and CI is still not fully elucidated. Besides, the efficacy of lipid-lowering drugs in the prophylaxis and treatment of CI has not been clarified. In this study, relevant advances in the influence of lipid metabolism disorders in CI will be reviewed, in an attempt to explore the effect of mediating blood lipid levels on the prophylaxis and treatment of CI, thus providing a reference for its clinical management.

Keywords: cognitive dysfunction; hyperlipidemia; lipid metabolism.

Figure 1

Etiology and pathogenesis of cognitive impairment. Any factor that directly or indirectly leads to chronic damage of cerebral cortex structure and function can cause cognitive impairment through different mechanisms. It mainly includes the following aspects: chronic brain injury caused by various pathogenic factors, chronic systemic diseases, mental and psychological abnormalities, and the influence of human factors [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

Figure 2

Underlying mechanism of brain dysfunction caused by abnormal lipid metabolism. Aβ, amyloid β‐protein; Apo B, apolipoprotein B; HDL, high‐density lipoprotein; LDL, low‐density lipoprotein; ROS, reactive oxygen species; TC, total cholesterol; TG, and triglyceride [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]