Question: What is the association between NT-proBNP and cognitive function?

Context:
RESULTS: Measures of cognitive decline were significantly associated with stroke, NT-proBNP, ABI, and cIMT, but not with nonstroke vascular events. 
SCI was present at baseline more often in NYHA IV patients compared with NYHA II [odds ratio 2.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-7.51, P = 0.025], but it was not related to NT-proBNP levels. 
Comparing extreme quintiles of NT-proBNP, subjects in the highest quintile were more likely to have reduced cognitive ability (within the lowest tertile of 'g') and 'possible' depression (HADS depression ≥8) (OR 1.80; 95% CI: 1.20, 2.70; p = 0.005 and OR 2.18; 95% CI: 1.28, 3.71; p = 0.004, respectively). Associations persisted when pre-morbid ability was adjusted for, but as expected were no longer statistically significant following the adjustment for diabetes-related and vascular co-variates (β -0.02, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.03, p>0.05 for 'g'; β 0.03, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.07, p>0.05 for depression scores). CONCLUSION: Raised plasma NT-proBNP was weakly but statistically significantly associated with poorer cognitive function and depression. The prospective phases of the ET2DS will help determine whether or not NT-proBNP can be considered a risk marker for subsequent cognitive impairment and incident depression and whether it provides additional information over and above traditional risk factors for these conditions.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Patients with vascular disease and elevated serum NT-proBNP level had a lower cognition level, shorter survival time, lower renal function and a higher percentage of pathological brain imaging than patients with vascular disease and normal NT-proBNP level. 
BACKGROUND: Natriuretic peptides have prognostic value across a wide spectrum of cardiovascular diseases and may predict cognitive dysfunction in patients with cardiovascular disease, even in the absence of previous stroke. 
In unadjusted analyses, all 3 cognitive function test scores were significantly associated with NT-proBNP levels (P<.001). After adjusting for age, sex, education, hypertension, body mass index, exercise, alcohol use, smoking, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, creatinine clearance, and previous cardiovascular disease, elevated NT-proBNP levels remained independently associated with poor cognitive performance on MMSE (odds ratio [OR] 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.6; P=.02) and Trails B (OR 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7; P=.01), but not Category Fluency (OR 1.4; 95% CI, 0.9-2.2; P=.19). 
 CONCLUSIONS: NT-proBNP levels were strongly and independently associated with poor cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.
However, NT-proBNP level did not predict cognition as assessed by MMSE score. 
However, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was significantly enhanced both in MCI and AD patients (1
In a second analysis of a sample of 110 subjects including younger healthy controls, we confirmed that NT-proBNP has the potential to be a stable candidate protein for both diagnosis and AD disease progression
Raised plasma NT-proBNP was weakly but statistically significantly associated with poorer cognitive function and depression
In unadjusted analyses, all 3 cognitive function test scores were significantly associated with NT-proBNP levels (P<.001)
NT-proBNP levels were strongly and independently associated with poor cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.

Answer: Greater NT-proBNP serum concentration is associated with poorer cognitive function and cognitive decline. In community-dwelling older adults, greater NT-proBNP levels were strongly associated with poor cognitive function independently from age, sex, education, hypertension, body mass index, exercise, alcohol use, smoking, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, creatinine clearance, and previous cardiovascular disease. However, other authors did not find an association between NT-proBNP and severe cognitive impairment (SCI).