Effects of commonly prescribed drugs on cognition and mild cognitive impairment in healthy elderly people
Abstract
Background:
Chronic drug intake has been associated with negative and positive cognitive effects in elderly people, although subjacent conditions may be confounding factors.
Aim:
To study the effects on cognitive performance of commonly prescribed medications in a cohort of cognitively normal older adults.
Methods:
Medication intake was recorded during two years in 1087 individuals 70–85 years old, without neurological or psychiatric conditions. The influence of every drug, drug family and therapeutic group on six cognitive scores and on the conversion to mild cognitive impairment over two years was ascertained by cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses controlling for demographic and clinical variables.
Results:
Small effects of several drugs on information processing were found in cross-sectional analyses but only confirmed for a positive effect of vitamin D in case–control analyses. Longitudinal analyses showed no drug effects on the cognitive slopes. Several hypotensive drugs reduced, whereas bromazepam and glucose lowering drugs increased, the conversion rate to mild cognitive impairment with very small effects (R2=0.3–1%).
Conclusions:
Cognitively healthy elderly individuals show minimal negative effects on information processing associated with chronic intake of some drugs probably related to the subjacent condition. Some drugs slightly affect the rate of conversion to mild cognitive impairment. Positive effects of vitamin D, chondroitin, atorvastatin and antihypertensive drugs, and negative effects of antidepressants and benzodiazepines, should be further explored in studies with longer follow-up.
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Published In
Article first published online: June 26, 2019
Issue published: August 2019
Keywords
PubMed: 31241413
Authors
Author contribution
TdS: study concept and design, analysis and interpretation of data, study supervision, statistical analysis supervision, drafting/revision of the manuscript. MV, MAZ and JO: acquisition of pharmacological data, analysis and interpretation of data and drafting/revision of the manuscript. JLA, analysis and interpretation of data and drafting/revision of the manuscript. ARV, MÁV and BF: acquisition of neuropsychological data, analysis and interpretation of data and revision of the manuscript. MM: study design and revision of the manuscript. MAFB: design, acquisition of neuropsychological data, statistical analyses, analysis and interpretation of data and revision of the manuscript.
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