Exposure to stress across the life course and cognitive function: the role of chronic inflammation.

OBJECTIVES: Stress exposures across the life course increase risk for poorer cognitive function and are associated with elevated chronic inflammation. We hypothesize that chronic inflammation may partially mediate the links between stress exposure from different life stages-childhood, adult, and cumulative-and cognitive function in later life. Using data from the 2016 Venous Blood Study of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 7,954), we examined whether chronic inflammation mediates the relationship between life course stress and later-life cognition.

METHODS: A latent chronic inflammation variable was constructed from six biomarkers, and structural equation modeling tested direct and indirect effects.

RESULTS: Greater childhood trauma, adult financial stressors, adult trauma, and cumulative stress were each linked to higher chronic inflammation, which in turn predicted worse cognitive function. Chronic inflammation accounted for 3.6-14.8% of these associations. Findings highlight chronic inflammation as a potential biological mechanism connecting stress exposure across life stages to cognitive function in older adulthood.