Overview
- Researchers analyzed nearly 6,000 Whitehall II participants aged 45–69 who had high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I measured and were followed for about 25 years with repeated cognitive assessments.
- During follow-up, 695 participants developed dementia, and those in the highest baseline troponin group had a 38% higher risk than those with the lowest levels, with elevations detectable 7–25 years before diagnosis.
- Higher midlife troponin was linked to faster cognitive decline, with performance at age 80 resembling people roughly 1.5 years older and at age 90 about two years older.
- In an MRI subset of 641 participants scanned roughly 15 years later, higher baseline troponin corresponded to smaller hippocampal and lower gray matter volumes, changes consistent with brains about three years older.
- Authors and the British Heart Foundation highlight midlife control of cardiovascular risks as an immediate step, while stressing that troponin’s use in dementia risk scores requires further validation.