Is grip strength a marker for cognitive function, neurodegeneration, and resilience?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Cognitive decline and impaired brain health are significant concerns in aging populations.
• Identifying modifiable factors to prevent or delay cognitive impairment is crucial.
• Grip strength, a measure of physical performance, has potential links to overall health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between grip strength and brain health indicators (neuroimaging markers).
• To determine if grip strength correlates with domain-specific cognitive decline.
• To evaluate grip strength as a proxy for cognitive resilience.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cognitive and neuroimaging data from 861 participants across three harmonized cohorts.
• Employed multivariable linear mixed-effects and linear regression models.
• Tested for moderation effects of gender and age on the identified associations.

Main Results:

• Greater grip strength showed a significant association with slower verbal episodic memory decline.
• Increased grip strength correlated positively with greater total gray matter volume.
• While not significant, other associations (executive function, hippocampal volume, white matter hyperintensities) were in the expected direction. Age moderated grip strength's link with white matter hyperintensities.

Conclusions:

• Grip strength is associated with specific markers of brain health and cognitive aging, particularly verbal episodic memory and gray matter volume.
• Grip strength demonstrated potential as a proxy for cognitive resilience concerning white matter hyperintensity volume and verbal episodic memory decline.
• Further research into physical performance measures is warranted to understand their role in later-life cognitive and brain health.