Clinical Interventions in Aging (Mar 2023)

The Relationship Between Sarcopenia, Cognitive Impairment, and Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensity in the Elderly

  • Zhang K,
  • Zhang K,
  • Liu Q,
  • Wu J

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18
pp. 547 – 555

Abstract

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Kangrui Zhang,1,2,* Kangdi Zhang,3,* Qiuwan Liu,2 Juncang Wu2 1Graduate School, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, The Second People’s Hospital of Hefei, Hefei, 230000, People’s Republic of China; 3Graduate School, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230000, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Juncang Wu, Department of Neurology, The Second People’s Hospital of Hefei, Hefei, 230000, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: To explore the relationship between sarcopenia-related indices, cognitive impairment and cerebral white matter hyperintensities.Patients and methods: Ninety-five hospitalized older adults aged 60 years and older were used in this study. Three sarcopenia-related indicators were measured: hand grip strength (Measured with a spring-type dynamometer), gait speed (6m step speed method), and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM, bioelectrical impedance). Sarcopenia was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria. Cognitive function was assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Cerebral white matter hyperintensity was assessed using 3.0T superconducting magnetic resonance imaging.Results: In both men and women, these three indices of sarcopenia were significantly and negatively correlated with WMH grades, except for appendicular skeletal muscle mass and WMH grades in women. Scores on the MoCA scale were significantly positive correlated with grip strength, and ASM, both in men and women. After adjusting for confounders and WMHs, regression analyses showed an increased incidence of cognitive impairment in patients with sarcopenia relative to those without sarcopenia.Conclusion: Lower sarcopenia-related indices were significantly associated with cognitive impairment. WMHs may be one of the factors linking sarcopenia and cognitive function.Keywords: hand grip strength, gait speed, muscle mass, cognition, white matter hyperintensity

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