Evidence mapPaperPMID 42322473Full record

ArticleMolecular neurobiology2026

Causal Links Between the Plasma Lipidome and Cognitive Performance: Targets, Pathways, and Lifestyle Influences.

Ran Miao, Qian Wang, Si-Liang Ge, Ming Chen, Feng Zhao, Wei-Dong Mi, Jiang-Bei Cao

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Article in Molecular neurobiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ran Miao *Department of Anesthesiology, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
Qian Wang *Department of Anesthesiology, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
Si-Liang Ge *Medical School of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
Ming ChenDepartment of Orthopedics, The Fourth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
Feng ZhaoDepartment of Anesthesiology, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
Wei-Dong MiDepartment of Anesthesiology, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
Jiang-Bei CaoDepartment of Anesthesiology, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China. caojiangbei@301hospital.com.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1218-4639

Funding

Beijing Natural Science Foundation L222100
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The plasma lipidome has been implicated in brain health, yet whether specific lipid species exert causal effects on cognitive performance (CP) remains uncertain. We integrated whole-blood expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) with CP genome-wide association studies using summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) with heterogeneity in dependent instruments (HEIDI), followed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) estimated effects of 179 plasma lipid species on CP using inverse-variance weighted primary analysis. Two-step MR quantified mediation via 43 modifiable lifestyle and biochemical factors. Mendelian randomization phenome-wide association study (MR-PheWAS) assessed systemic consequences and potential pleiotropy. Using SMR with blood eQTLs and HEIDI test, we identified 1066 genes associated with CP enriched for lipid metabolism and membrane functions implicating phosphoinositide signaling. Two-sample MR analyses demonstrated heterogeneous causal effects of phosphatidylcholine-ether (PC-O) species on CP, with PC (O-16:0_20:3) positively associated with CP, whereas PC (O-18:1_18:2) (P = 0.025, OR = 0.984 (95% CI 0.969-0.998)) and PC (O-18:2_16:0) (P = 0.027, OR = 0.984 (95% CI 0.970-0.998)) showed adverse effects. Sphingomyelin (SM) (d36:1) exhibited a robust positive association with CP (P < 0.001, OR = 1.026 (95% CI 1.014-1.039)), remaining significant after sensitivity analyses. Fourteen modifiable factors associated with CP. HDL-C increased SM (d36:1) and PC (O-16:0_20:3) favoring CP, whereas poultry intake increased PC (O-18:1_18:2) impairing CP. SMR and MR support causal links between plasma lipids and CP. SM (d36:1) and select ether PCs emerge as candidate biomarkers or pathway mediators. These findings suggest that lipid-centered metabolic modulation may represent a potential strategy for preserving cognitive health, with lifestyle-related influences providing further support for integrated preventive approaches.

Indexed as

CognitionLife StyleLipidomicsLipidsGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansLipid MetabolismMendelian Randomization AnalysisQuantitative Trait LociLipidsCausal inferenceCognitive performanceMendelian randomizationPlasma lipidome

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.