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AmJCaseRep

iNOS gene expression correlates with cognitive impairment

Małgorzata Kowalczyk, Monika Talarowska, Marlena Zajączkowska, Janusz Szemraj, Piotr Gałecki

Med Sci Tech 2013; 54:16-21

DOI: 10.12659/MST.889002

Available online: 2013-02-19

Published: 2013-02-19


Background: Normal cognitive processes are modulated by many factors and mechanisms that are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression levels in patients with recurrent depressive disorder (rDD) and to define the relationship between plasma levels of iNOS and cognitive performance.
Material and Methods: The study included 200 subjects: 100 patients with rDD and 100 healthy subjects. Cognitive function assessment was based on the Trail Making Test, the Stroop Test, the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), and the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT).
Results: There was a significant correlation between iNOS expression levels and results of all applied neuropsychological tests. Both iNOS mRNA and protein expression levels affect auditory-verbal and visual-spatial working memory, verbal fluency, auditory-verbal immediate and deferred memory, learning ability, and attention span. Elevated iNOS levels were associated with worse cognitive test performance.
Conclusions: Our data suggest there is a relation between increased iNOS mRNA and protein expression levels, and cognitive impairment.

Keywords: , iNOS, cognitive impairment



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