AGE-RELATED IMMUNE CELL PHENOTYPES IN THE FRAMINGHAM HEART STUDY PARTICIPANTS

Abstract Mounting evidence supports a role for the immune system in pathophysiology of dementia. Alterations composition circulating cells is one key changes associated with age. However, age and sex on cell phenotypes their contribution to disease pathogenesis remains be unraveled. We identified study sample 996 participants (mean 62 years, range 40 88 52% female, 22% APOE-ϵ4 carriers) from community-based Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort who were dementia stroke free at seventh examination (1998-2001), first exam existing stored peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMC). profiled 132 cryopreserved PBMCs by flow cytometry using standardized protocols. T cells, B NK monocytes reported as percentage gated lymphocytes or monocytes. All other subsets appropriate parent (e.g. CD4+ CD8+). summarized distributions each phenotype age, sex, genotype. also evaluated differences percentages T-cell subtypes including CD4+, CD8+ naïve, effector memory, central memory across groups sex. observed that both CD4 CD8, naïve decrease whereas effector/memory increase no difference Future analyses will explore association between cognitive test performance risk context exposure cytomegalovirus infection.