Infectious burden and cognitive function

So when your doctor tells you your cognition has been affected by the stroke. Ask whether they have ruled out these eleven first or did they just blindly follow Occams' razor.
Or is the actual stroke itself?  Ask for proof as to the conclusion.
1. Decline in executive control during acute bouts of exercise
2. Time to Recognize Mild Cognitive Disorder?
3.  Low-T in men
4.  Alcohol intake in the elderly affects risk of cognitive decline and dementia
5.   long-term exposure to particulate matter speeded up cognitive decline in older women.
6.  Older Brains Actually Become ‘Full’
7. Mem­ory Loss Could Be The Fault Of Your Meds, Not Your Age
8. How marijuana makes you forget
9.  Silent strokes -New Clues as to Why Some Older People May Be Losing Their Memory
10.  Doorways - What did I come in here for? Study explains why we forget simple tasks
11.  Afib Linked to Cognitive Decline
And the new infection reason here;
http://www.neurology.org/content/80/13/1209.abstract

Abstract

Objective: We hypothesized that infectious burden (IB), a composite serologic measure of exposure to common pathogens (i.e., Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus 1 and 2) associated with vascular risk in the prospective Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), would also be associated with cognition.

Methods: Cognition was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at enrollment and the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-m) at annual follow-up visits. Adjusted linear and logistic regressions were used to measure the association between IB index and MMSE. Generalized estimating equation models were used to evaluate associations with TICS-m and its change over time.

Results: Serologies and cognitive assessments were available in 1,625 participants of the NOMAS cohort. In unadjusted analyses, higher IB index was associated with worse cognition (change per standard deviation [SD] of IB for MMSE was −0.77, p < 0.0001, and for first measurements of TICS-m was −1.89, p < 0.0001). These effects were attenuated after adjusting for risk factors (for MMSE adjusted change per SD of IB = −0.17, p = 0.06, for TICS-m adjusted change per SD IB = −0.68, p < 0.0001). IB was associated with MMSE ≤24 (compared to MMSE >24, adjusted odds ratio 1.26 per SD of IB, 95% confidence interval 1.06–1.51). IB was not associated with cognitive decline over time. The results were similar when IB was limited to viral serologies only.

Conclusion: A measure of IB associated with stroke risk and atherosclerosis was independently associated with cognitive performance in this multiethnic cohort. Past infections may contribute to cognitive impairment.