Association Between Structural Changes in Brain with Muscle Function in Sarcopenic Older Women: the Women's Healthy Ageing Project (WHAP)

Overview

Journal J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact

Specialties Neurology
Orthopedics
Physiology

Date 2019 Jun 13

PMID 31186383

Citations 4

Authors

Ebrahim Bani Hassan

Cassandra Szoeke

Sara Vogrin

Steven Phu

Vijay Venkatraman

Patricia Desmond

Chris Steward

Gustavo Duque

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: The involvement of changes in brain structure in the pathophysiology of muscle loss (sarcopenia) with aging remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the associations between brain structure and muscle strength in a group of older women. We hypothesized that structural changes in brain could correlate with functional changes observed in sarcopenic older women.

Methods: In 150 women (median age of 70 years) of the Women's Healthy Ageing Project (WHAP) Study, brain grey (total and cortex) volumes were calculated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyses. Grip strength and timed up and go (TUG) were measured. The brain volumes were compared between sarcopenic vs. non-sarcopenic subjects and women with previous falls vs. those without.

Results: Based on handgrip strength and TUG results respectively, 27% and 15% of women were classified as sarcopenic; and only 5% were sarcopenic based on both criteria. At least one fall was experienced by 15% of participants. There was no difference in brain volumetric data between those with vs. without sarcopenia (p>0.24) or between women with falls (as a symptom of weakness or imbalance) vs. those without history of falls (p>0.25).

Conclusions: Brain structure was not associated with functional changes or falls in this population of older women.

Citing Articles

Causal association of sarcopenia-related traits with brain cortical structure: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Zhan Y, Zhang Z, Lin S, Du B, Zhang K, Wu J Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025; 37(1):57.

PMID: 40014117 PMC: 11868162. DOI: 10.1007/s40520-025-02977-x.

Interactions between muscle volume and body mass index on brain structure in the UK Biobank.

Lu A, Than S, Beare R, La Hood A, Collyer T, Srikanth V Front Dement. 2024; 3:1456716.

PMID: 39376216 PMC: 11456486. DOI: 10.3389/frdem.2024.1456716.

Association of sarcopenia with regional brain atrophy and white matter lesions in a general older population: the Hisayama Study.

Tajimi T, Hirabayashi N, Furuta Y, Nakazawa T, Honda T, Hata J Geroscience. 2024; 47(1):1187-1198.

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Casual associations between brain structure and sarcopenia: A large-scale genetic correlation and mendelian randomization study.

Yang G, Xie W, Li B, Zhao G, Li J, Xiao W Aging Cell. 2024; 23(10):e14252.

PMID: 38881464 PMC: 11464103. DOI: 10.1111/acel.14252.

Sex- and age-specific associations between cardiometabolic risk and white matter brain age in the UK Biobank cohort.

Subramaniapillai S, Suri S, Barth C, Maximov I, Voldsbekk I, van der Meer D Hum Brain Mapp. 2022; 43(12):3759-3774.

PMID: 35460147 PMC: 9294301. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25882.

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