Baseline eGFR may be linked with cognition, longitudinal structural changes in the brain
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Key takeaways:
- Lower eGFR was linked to cortical thinning in the frontal and posterior regions of the brain.
- In addition, lower eGFR was associated with increases in the temporal and cingulate areas.
PHILADELPHIA — Baseline eGFR may be linked with cognition and longitudinal brain structural changes in regions with specific gene expression characteristics, according to findings of a Canadian study presented at ASN Kidney Week.
“Chronic kidney disease has been previously associated with cognitive impairments and signs of neurodegeneration in the brain,” Shady Rahayel, PhD, professor in the department of medicine at the Universite de Montreal, told Healio. “Yet, the underlying mechanisms linking kidney function, cognitive decline and brain changes remain unclear.”
Rahayel and colleagues analyzed data from 1,367 adults in the CARTaGene cohort in Quebec, Canada, to investigate the relationship between baseline eGFR and cognitive performance. To examine the association between cortical thickness and baseline eGFR, investigators performed vertex-based cortical surface analysis on participants’ T1-weighted brain MRI scans 6 years after baseline assessment. Investigators adjusted for factors such as patient age, sex, BMI, vascular risk and white matter lesion volume.
They employed gene set enrichment analysis to find genetic features in areas in which eGFR was associated with cortical thickness.
After adjusting for patient factors such as age, sex, income, education, smoking, alcohol intake, vascular risk, BMI and use of psychoactive medication, researchers found cognitive performance declined as eGFR decreased. Lower eGFR was linked to cortical thinning in the frontal and posterior regions of the brain. In addition, lower eGFR was linked with increases in the temporal and cingulate areas, according to the study abstract.
In addition, brain regions that indicated lower eGFR-associated thinning were enriched for mitochondrial gene expression, while those with increased thickness were augmented for genes involved in protein-containing complex remodeling, including apolipoprotein E and angiotensinogen.
“Our study reveals that a decrease in eGFR is significantly associated with cortical thinning and cognitive deficits, especially in reasoning capabilities,” Rahayel said. Overall, “kidney function may influence cognitive performance and brain structure, possibly mediated through mitochondrial pathways.”
Reference:
Rahayel S, et al. TH-PO1065. Presented at: ASN Kidney Week; Nov. 1-5, 2023; Philadelphia.
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Rahayel S, et al. TH-PO1065. Presented at: ASN Kidney Week; Nov. 1-5, 2023; Philadelphia.
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