Associations of circulating GDF15 with combined cognitive frailty and depression in older adults of the MARK-AGE study

Kochlik, B.; Herpich, C.; Moreno-Villanueva, M.; Klaus, S.; Müller-Werdan, U.; Weinberger, B.; ... ; Norman, K. (2023)

Article / Letter to editor

Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) might be involved in the development of cognitive frailty and depression. Therefore, we evaluated cross-sectional associations of plasma GDF15 with combined cognitive-frailty-and-depression in older (i.e. ≥ 55 years) and younger adults of the MARK-AGE study. In the present work, samples and data of MARK-AGE (“European study to establish bioMARKers of human AGEing“) participants (N = 2736) were analyzed. Cognitive frailty was determined by the global cognitive functioning score (GCF) and depression by the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS score). Adults were classified into three groups: (I) neither-cognitive-frailty-nor-depression, (II) either-cognitive-frailty-or-depression or (III) both-cognitive-frailty-and-depression. Cross-sectional associations were determined by unadjusted and by age, BMI, sex, comorbidities and hsCRP-adjusted linear and logistic regression analyses. Cognitive frailty, depression, age and GDF15 were significantly related within the whole study sample. High GDF15 levels were significantly associated with both-cognitive-frailty-and-depression (adjusted β = 0.177 [0.044 – 0.310], p = 0.009), and with low GCF scores and high SDS scores. High GDF15 concentrations and quartiles were significantly associated with higher odds to have both-cognitive-frailty-and-depression (adjusted odds ratio = 2.353 [1.267 – 4.372], p = 0.007; and adjusted odds ratio = 1.414 [1.025 – 1.951], p = 0.035, respectively) independent of age, BMI, sex, comorbidities and hsCRP. These associations remained significant when evaluating older adults. We conclude that plasma GDF15 concentrations are significantly associated with combined cognitive-frailty-and-depression status and, with cognitive frailty and depressive symptoms separately in old as well as young community-dwelling adults.

• GDF15
• Cognitive frailty
• Depression
• Aging
• Biomarker

• All authors: Kochlik, B.; Herpich, C.; Moreno-Villanueva, M.; Klaus, S.; Müller-Werdan, U.; Weinberger, B.; Fiegl, S.; Toussaint, O.; Debacq-Chainiaux, F.; Schön, C.; Bernhard, J.; Breusing, N.; Gonos, E.S.; Franceschi, C.; Capri, M.; Sikora, E.; Hervonen, A.; Hurme, M.; Slagboom, P.E.; Dolle, M.E.T.; Jansen, E.; Grune, T.; Bürkle, A.; Norman, K.
• Date: 2023-09-16
• Journal: Geroscience
• DOI: doi:10.1007/s11357-023-00902-6
• Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-023-00902-6