{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T15:02:54Z","timestamp":1774018974384,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":121,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,20]],"date-time":"2020-08-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1597881600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SFRH\/BPD\/71030\/2010"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BPD\/71030\/2010"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IF\/01325\/2015"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IF\/01325\/2015"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SFRH\/BD\/146680\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BD\/146680\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/04035\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04035\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Trace elements (TE) homeostasis is crucial in normal brain functioning. Although imbalances have the potential to exacerbate events leading neurodegenerative diseases, few studies have directly addressed the eventual relationships between TE levels in the human body and future cognitive status. The present study aimed to assess how different TE body-levels relate to cognitive decline. This exploratory research included a study-group (RES) of 20 elderly individuals living in two Portuguese geographical areas of interest (Estarreja; M\u00e9rtola), as well as a 20 subjects neuropsychological control-group (CTR). Participants were neuropsychologically assessed through the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the RES group was biomonitored for TE through fingernail analysis. After 5 years, the cognitive assessments were repeated. Analyses of the RES neuropsychological data showed an average decrease of 6.5 and 5.27 points in MMSE and MoCA, respectively, but TE contents in fingernails were generally within the referenced values for non-exposed individuals. Higher levels of Nickel and Selenium significantly predicted lesser cognitive decline within 5 years. Such preliminary results evidence an association between higher contents of these TE and higher cognitive scores at follow-up, suggesting their contribution to the maintenance of cognitive abilities. Future expansion of the present study is needed in order to comprehensively assess the potential benefits of these TE.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17176051","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,20]],"date-time":"2020-08-20T09:35:31Z","timestamp":1597916131000},"page":"6051","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":28,"title":["Associations between Trace Elements and Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory 5-Year Follow-Up Study of an Elderly Cohort"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1229-5462","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bianca","family":"Gerardo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics Laboratory (PsyAssessmentLab), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6908-1596","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marina","family":"Cabral Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Geobiotec Research Centre, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Joana","family":"Nogueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics Laboratory (PsyAssessmentLab), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Paula","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics Laboratory (PsyAssessmentLab), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1297-3198","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agostinho","family":"Almeida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAQV\/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8021-4783","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edgar","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAQV\/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, P.Porto, CISA\/Research Center in Environment and Health, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0922-8290","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paula","family":"Marinho-Reis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Geobiotec Research Centre, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Ci\u00eancias da Terra, Instituto de Ci\u00eancias da Terra, Polo da Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Lu\u00edsa","family":"Diniz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAQV\/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5177-6747","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paula I.","family":"Moreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"M\u00e1rio R.","family":"Sim\u00f5es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics Laboratory (PsyAssessmentLab), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Sandra","family":"Freitas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics Laboratory (PsyAssessmentLab), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), Univ Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"WHO (2020, March 09). 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