Fig. 4

Relationship between CSF interleukin (IL)-10 levels, rates of cognitive decline, and preanalytical processing. Lower CSF IL-10 levels were associated with greater decline in memory functions (adjusting for age, gender, race, education) in MCI⁺. a Memory Z scores were derived from averaging verbal and visual delayed recall Z scores. Mixed linear modeling was performed using IL-10 as a continuous variable (p = 0.005), and IL-10 levels are shown as tertiles for illustrative purposes (open triangle, open circle, and filled triangle represent top, middle, and bottom quartiles). b Centrifugation of CSF after collection but before freezing did not alter IL-10 levels or levels of two other biomarkers (neurofilament light chain (NfL) and IL-7)