Linking Brain Volumes to the Kidneys and Psoas Muscles

As previously discussed in “Connecting Brain and Body Aging,” your body ages alongside you. The risk of developing various disorders—including Alzheimer’s disease—subsequently increases with age due to organ volume and brain volume decrease.

What is interesting to note is that two specific conditions, renal atrophy and psoas muscle sarcopenia, can also be observed in aging or elderly individuals and act as predictors of severe health conditions and diseases.

• The kidneys are responsible for regulating fluid and solute amounts in the blood. Compromised renal function and atrophy can lead to vascular disease and decreased flow of oxygen to the brain. This leads to brain tissue death and issues such as cognitive impairment and motor dysfunction.
• The psoas muscles are hip flexors connecting the lumbar spine to the femurs, and are particularly sensitive to aging. The weakening of these muscles, known as sarcopenia, increase an individual’s fall risk, especially in conjunction with motor dysfunction associated with brain damage.

The supplements to the original paper co-authored by Dr. Raj Attariwala pose a question—would renal atrophy and psoas muscle sarcopenia make particularly sensitive indicators of brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease risk?

How do the kidneys and psoas muscles relate to the brain?

Similarly to the main study, analyses for normalized kidney volumes and psoas muscle segmentation were performed on 9,147 whole-body MRI scans, with 96 segmented brain regions further examined from 134 participants. Partial correlation analysis was performed on kidney and psoas muscle volumes while controlling for total intracranial volumes.

The additional research discovered that decreased psoas muscle volumes had a statistically partial correlation to decreased gray and white matter volumes. It also correlated to lower lobar volumes and lower volumes in Alzheimer’s disease risk regions: the hippocampus, posterior cingulate and precuneus. Lower kidney volumes had a positive correlation to lower gray and white matter volumes, cerebral volumes, and volumes of specific lobar structures such as the frontal lobe, temporal lobe and occipital lobe. In addition, decreases in kidney volume correlated to lower volumes of the hippocampus, posterior cingulate and precuneus.

What should be done about the kidneys, psoas muscles and aging?

Early intervention and prevention are vital in reducing your risk for deterioration of the kidneys, psoas muscles and the brain, and lifestyle changes may be necessary. Strengthening the psoas muscles works two-fold: not only does fall risk decrease, exercise-related physical activity can increase brain volumes and lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease as a result. For the kidneys, increase your water intake and choose healthier foods to reduce the risk of renal dysfunction, renal atrophy, vascular issues and, consequently, brain tissue death.

Our AIM Onco-Rads WB-MRI Scan can provide you with a snapshot of your current state of health. It can also screen and detect hundreds of issues in your body—including those of the kidneys, psoas muscles and the brain.

More information on the supplements to the research paper can be found below: