Pathogens

2 papers4 findings

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

On aging: the drug’s trials ARN judged to be about aging, of every trial that tests it for any use.

No results posted: trials that ended more than a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper in ARN’s record.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

2 independent labs in 2 countries

Funders: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and 2 more

Humans2

Outcomes

Word-list delayed recall

downin humans1

1 study

Pathogens impair word-list delayed recall in humans (B = –0.057, p = 0.041).
“more infections at Wave 4 were associated with poorer Wave 5 word-list delayed recall (B = –0.057, p = 0.041)”
Humans>10 yearsn = 291
Links Between Burden of Common Infections and Cognitive Decline over More Than a Decade
GSA 2025 abstract31 Dec 2025

MMSE errors

upin humans1

1 study

Pathogens increase MMSE errors in humans (B = 0.134, p = 0.008).
“individuals with more infections at Wave 4 had a greater number of errors on the MMSE at Wave 5 (B = 0.134, p = 0.008).”
Humans>10 yearsn = 291
Links Between Burden of Common Infections and Cognitive Decline over More Than a Decade
GSA 2025 abstract31 Dec 2025

Processing speed

downin humans1OR 17.43

1 study

Pathogens impair processing speed in humans (OR=17.43, CI 95% 2.32‐32.53, p = 0.02).
“poorer processing speed (OR=17.43, CI 95% 2.32‐32.53, p = 0.02)”
Humansn = 165
Single and multiple pathogen associations with cognitive impairment in the Panama Aging Research Initiative Study
AAIC 2025 abstract28 Dec 2025

Associations

Cognitive impairment

upin humans1OR 1.51

1 study

Pathogens raise the risk of cognitive impairment in humans (OR=1.51, CI 95% 1.01‐2.26, p = 0.04).
“cumulative exposure to infectious agents increased the likelihood of cognitive impairment (OR=1.51, CI 95% 1.01‐2.26, p = 0.04)”
Humansn = 165
Single and multiple pathogen associations with cognitive impairment in the Panama Aging Research Initiative Study
AAIC 2025 abstract28 Dec 2025

Funding

3 grants since 2023

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesUS$477.5kNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial ResearchUS$226.5kNational Institute on AgingUS$124.9k