The relationship between salivary C-reactive protein and cognitive function in children aged 11–14years: Does psychopathology have a moderating effect?

•Salivary CRP predicts poorer executive functioning in children aged 11–14years.•The association is not confounded or moderated by concurrent psychopathology.•Findings have implications for interventions targeting cognitive deficits.•Salivary CRP can be used to investigate inflammation-brain function relationships. Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a non-specific biomarker of systemic bodily inflammation, has been associated with more pronounced cognitive impairments in adults with psychiatric disorders, particularly in the domains of memory and executive function. Whether this association is present in early life (i.e., the time at which the cognitive impairments that characterise these disorders become evident), and is specific to those with emerging psychiatric disorders, has yet to be investigated. To this end, we examined the association between salivary CRP and cognitive function in children aged 11–14years and explored the moderating effect of psychopathology. The study utilised data from an established longitudinal investigation of children recruited from the community (N=107) that had purposively over-sampled individuals experiencing psychopathology (determined using questionnaires). CRP was measured in saliva samples and participants completed assessments of cognition (memory and executive function) and psychopathology (internalising and externalising symptoms and psychotic-like experiences). Linear regression models indicated that higher salivary CRP was associated with poorer letter fluency (β=−0.24, p=0.006) and scores on the inhibition (β=−0.28, p=0.004) and inhibition/switching (β=−0.36, p