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Casual associations between brain structure and sarcopenia: A large-scale genetic correlation and mendelian
Guang Yang1, Wenqing Xie1, Bin Li2,3,4
1Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Aging Cell
|June 17, 2024
Summary
This study reveals specific brain structures causally influence sarcopenia, impacting handgrip strength, walking pace, and lean mass. These findings offer new insights into the brain-muscle axis for preventing age-related muscle loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Genetics
Background:
- Sarcopenia is a major healthcare challenge in aging populations.
- Understanding the brain-sarcopenia connection is crucial for developing interventions.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the causal relationship between brain structure and sarcopenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal association between brain imaging-derived phenotypes (BIDPs) and sarcopenia-related traits.
- To explore genetic correlations and causal relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR).
Main Methods:
- Linkage Disequilibrium Score Regression (LDSC) to estimate genetic correlations.
- Two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses using inverse-variance weighted, weighted median, and MR-Egger methods.
- Examined associations between BIDPs and handgrip strength, walking pace, and appendicular lean mass (ALM).
Main Results:
- Significant genetic associations were found between BIDPs and ALM (6.41%), handgrip strength (4.68%), walking pace (2.11%), and ALM (2.04%).
- Ventromedial hypothalamus volume correlated with increased handgrip strength and ALM.
- Mean thickness of G-pariet-inf-Angular associated with decreased handgrip strength and walking pace.
Conclusions:
- Brain structure causally influences sarcopenia, supporting the brain-muscle axis concept.
- Findings provide novel perspectives for sarcopenia prevention strategies.
- Highlights the importance of further research into brain-body interactions in aging.
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