Association Between Lower-Limb Muscle Quality, Cognitive Function and Sarcopenia in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Kinesiology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Sarcopenia and declining physical function are prevalent in older adults.
• Muscle Quality Index (MQI) is an emerging metric for assessing muscle health.
• The relationship between lower-limb MQI, physical function, and cognition requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between lower-limb Muscle Quality Index (MQI) and physical function, cognitive function, and sarcopenia markers in community-dwelling older adults.
• To explore the relationship between MQI and various physical and cognitive performance measures.
• To identify predictors of lower-limb MQI in an older adult population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 79 older adults (mean age 73 years).
• Participants stratified into two groups based on lower-limb MQI.
• Physical function assessed via BMI, SARC-F, and handgrip strength; cognitive function via MMSE, Trail Making Test, Stroop Test, verbal fluency, and dual-task performance.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in BMI, SARC-F, handgrip strength, MMSE, Stroop Test, verbal fluency, and dual-task performance between MQI groups (p ≤ 0.05).
• Regression analyses revealed associations between these measures and MQI.
• Adjusted models indicated BMI, handgrip strength, and dual-task walking time were independent predictors of MQI (adjusted R² = 0.514).

Conclusions:

• Lower-limb MQI is significantly associated with sarcopenia markers in older adults.
• MQI is linked to cognitive function and dual-task performance.
• These findings highlight MQI as a relevant indicator of overall health and function in aging populations.