Vitamin B12, Homocysteine, and Cognitive Function in the Older Adults Attending Tertiary Geriatric Psychiatry Centre: A Retrospective Case Notes Based Study

BackgroundCognitive impairment in the older adult population has been linked to low Vitamin B12 levels and elevated Homocysteine levels, but evidence is not clear. This study examines the relationship between serum Vitamin B12 (B12) levels, Homocysteine (HCY) levels, and cognitive impairment among the Indian older adult population. MethodsThis retrospective case notes-based study was conducted on 96 subjects with cognitively normal (n-21), Alzheimers disease (AD; n = 42), and other cognitive disorders (n = 33) with a total sample mean age was 70.1 (+/-8.9) years and 58% male, had cognitive assessment by Hindi Mental Status Examination Scale (HMSE) along with serum B12 levels (pg/ml) and serum HCY levels (micromol/L). Pearsons bivariate correlation, multi-linear regression analysis, and mediation analysis using bootstrapping were done. ResultsAbout 72% had elevated HCY levels (>15 micromol/L) and 33% had low B12 levels (<200 pg/mL). The mean HMSE score was 16.9 (+/-8.5). There was no linear correlation between the HMSE scale and both HCY levels (r = -0.006, p = 0.95) and B12 (r = +0.12, p = 0.23). HCY levels were different between the groups: cognitive impairment (AD: 22.6 +/-13.1 micromol/L; others: 24.0 +/-16.0 micromol/L) and normal group (20.7 +/-13.5 micromol/L), with no statistical significance. The multi-linear regression test results indicated that gender was a significant predictor of the HMSE score, whereas other variables such as B12, HCY, and age did not show significant predictive value contrary to the initial hypothesis. ConclusionThere are no significant independent associations were found between B12 or HCY levels and the cognitive test (HMSE). The data also did not support any statistically significant moderation effect observed between B12 and HCY levels on the HMSE scale.