Muscle Health Patterns and Brain MRI Indices: A Cluster Analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Gerontology
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Holistic assessment of muscle-brain interplay is lacking.
• Muscle health factors can influence brain structure and function.
• Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indices are key to understanding these relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct muscle health patterns using clustering analysis.
• To investigate the association between these muscle health clusters and brain MRI indices.
• To elucidate the neuroimaging correlates of obesity, leptin resistance, and sarcopenia.

Main Methods:

• Clustering analysis of muscle health markers (age, skeletal muscle mass index, gait speed, handgrip strength, body fat, serum leptin) in 275 participants.
• Examination of macrostructural and microstructural brain MRI indices using ANOVA and multiple linear regression.
• Identification of significant associations between muscle health clusters and brain gray matter volume (GMV) and density (GMD).

Main Results:

• Three muscle health clusters emerged: obese, leptin-resistant, and sarcopenia.
• Significant associations were found between clusters and GMV in the cerebellum, frontal gyrus, and posterior cingulum, and GMD in gyrus rectus and temporal pole.
• Leptin-resistant and sarcopenia groups showed the greatest reduction in GMV and GMD, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Muscle health patterns, specifically leptin resistance and sarcopenia, are associated with significant neuroimaging alterations.
• These findings underscore the importance of considering muscle health in the context of brain health.
• Awareness of these brain-body connections can improve clinical management and prognosis for individuals with these conditions.