Discussion
Chronic obstructive lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, may have some linkage to impairment of cognitive functions. However, the noted rise in CREB mRNA expression might suggest a potential avenue for assessing possible changes in cognition, especially in COPD; such findings may reveal additional transcription factors linked to cognitive decline.
Methods
This prospective observational study included 78 patients divided equally into asthma, COPD, and control groups (n=26, 27 and 25 respectively). The participants underwent identical examinations at the beginning of the study and after at least 12 months. The test battery comprised 16 questionnaires (11 self-rated, 5 observer-rated, assessing cognition and mental state), spirometry, and blood samples taken for PKA and CREB mRNA evaluation.
Results
A 2.3-fold increase in CREB mRNA was observed between examinations (p=0.014) for all participants; no distinctions were observed between the asthma, COPD, and control groups. Pooled, adjusted data revealed a borderline interaction between diagnosis and CREB expression in predicting MMSE (p=0.055) in COPD, CREB expression is also associated with MMSE (β=0.273, p=0.034) like with the other conducted tests (β=0.327, p=0.024) from COPD patients. No correlations were generally found for PKA, although one significant negative correlation was found between the first and second time points in the COPD group (β=-0.4157, p=0.049),.