Muscle-Brain crosstalk in cognitive impairment

• Published in: Frontiers in aging neuroscience Vol. 15; p. 1221653
• Main Authors: Han, Xiaowei, Ashraf, Muhammad, Tipparaju, Srinivas M, Xuan, Wanling
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 27-07-2023; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Aging Neuroscience; Alzheimer's disease; Atrophy; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Cognitive ability; cognitive impairment; Cytokines; Dementia disorders; Drug development; Drugs; Exercise; FDA approval; Insulin; Insulin-like growth factors; Metabolism; Muscle function; Musculoskeletal system; Nervous system; Neurodegenerative diseases; Older people; Physical fitness; Quality of life; Sarcopenia; Skeletal muscle; cognitive impairment; aging; skeletal muscle; Alzheimer's disease; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 1663-4365; 1663-4365
• DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1221653

Sarcopenia is an age-related, involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in elderly adults. To date, no effective cures for sarcopenia and AD are available. Physical and cognitive impairments are two major causes of disability in the elderly population, which severely decrease their quality of life and increase their economic burden. Clinically, sarcopenia is strongly associated with AD. However, the underlying factors for this association remain unknown. Mechanistic studies on muscle
brain crosstalk during cognitive impairment might shed light on new insights and novel therapeutic approaches for combating cognitive decline and AD. In this review, we summarize the latest studies emphasizing the association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment. The underlying mechanisms involved in muscle
brain crosstalk and the potential implications of such crosstalk are discussed. Finally, future directions for drug development to improve age-related cognitive impairment and AD-related cognitive dysfunction are also explored.