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
. 2024 Jul;19(3):186-191.
doi: 10.2185/jrm.2024-018. Epub 2024 Jul 1.

Association between sTREM2, an immune biomarker of microglial activation, and frontal lobe function in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study

Ryuzo Orihashi  1   2 , Yoshiomi Imamura  2 , Yoshito Mizoguchi  2
Affiliations

Association between sTREM2, an immune biomarker of microglial activation, and frontal lobe function in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study

Ryuzo Orihashi et al. J Rural Med. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Identifying the peripheral biomarkers related to the prevention or modification of unhealthy mental conditions in older adults is extremely beneficial. This study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2), a soluble form of an innate immune receptor expressed on microglia, in older adults living in a rural community, and their association with cognitive function. Materials and Methods: This survey was conducted between November 2016 and September 2017 in Kurokawa-cho, Imari, Saga Prefecture, Japan, among people aged ≥65 years. Blood samples were collected from the participants for serum sTREM2 level analysis using a peptide enzyme immunoassay. The participants underwent cognitive function assessments, including the Mini-Mental State Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating, and Frontal Assessment Battery. Therefore, we examined the association between serum sTREM2 levels and cognitive function. Results: Of the 95 participants, 25 were men and 70 were women with a mean age 78.24 ± 3.85 years and 77.96 ± 5.52 years, respectively. Serum sTREM2 levels were negatively associated with Frontal Assessment Battery scores, even after adjusting for age, sex, years of education, and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. Conclusion: Serum sTREM2 levels may be associated with frontal lobe function in adults aged ≥65 years.

Keywords: cognitive function; frontal assessment battery (FAB); mental health; older adults; soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Simple regression analysis between serum sTREM2 levels and each cognitive function. In order, about (A) MMSE, (B) FAB, and (C) CDR. TREM2: soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2; MMSE: mini-mental state examination; FAB: frontal assessment battery; CDR: clinical dementia rating.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nabeta H, Mizoguchi Y, Matsushima J, et al. . Association of salivary cortisol levels and later depressive state in elderly people living in a rural community: a 3-year follow-up study. J Affect Disord 2014; 158: 85–89. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.02.003 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Matsushima J, Kawashima T, Nabeta H, et al. . Association of inflammatory biomarkers with depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in a community-dwelling healthy older sample: a 3-year follow-up study. J Affect Disord 2015; 173: 9–14. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.030 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Imamura Y, Mizoguchi Y, Nabeta H, et al. . An association between belief in life after death and serum oxytocin in older people in rural Japan. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2017; 32: 102–109. doi: 10.1002/gps.4453 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Orihashi R, Mizoguchi Y, Imamura Y, et al. . Oxytocin and elderly MRI-based hippocampus and amygdala volume: a 7-year follow-up study. Brain Commun 2020; 2: fcaa081. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa081 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Orihashi R, Mizoguchi Y, Imamura Y, et al. . Association between sTREM2, an immune biomarker of microglial activation, and aging-related brain volume changes in community-dwelling older adults: a 7-year follow-up study. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13: 665612. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.665612 - DOI - PMC - PubMed