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The inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, bacterial and viral infections in the central nervous system, and stroke. These researchers examined the correlation between IL-6 and cognitive function in 779 high-functioning, older individuals (i.e., without cognitive or physical impairment) from the MacArthur Study of Successful Aging (age range, 70-79; mean age, 74; 45% male). Plasma levels of IL-6 were measured at baseline, and participants underwent neuropsychological tests at baseline and at 2.5 and 7.0 years. Investigators correlated cognitive function at the 3 timepoints with baseline IL-6 levels divided into tertiles.
At baseline, participants in the highest IL-6 tertile showed a trend t…