A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers has found that the size of a small muscle in the head may be able to predict whether a person will develop dementia. The study, which analyzed the temporalis muscle, found that people with smaller muscles were 60% more likely to develop the condition.
The researchers studied 621 healthy adults aged 70, using MRI scans to measure the size of the temporalis muscle and monitor their brain health over a period of five years. They found that those with smaller muscles were more likely to develop dementia, even after accounting for other risk factors such as age.
The study is the first to demonstrate a link between skeletal muscle loss and the development of dementia, and suggests that maintaining muscle mass and overall health could be an important strategy in preventing or slowing the progression of the disease.
While further research is needed to confirm the findings, the study’s authors hope that their results could be used to develop a cheap and easy way to diagnose dementia early, allowing for early intervention and potentially preventing or slowing the condition.
Other experts agree that maintaining muscle mass and cardiovascular health is important in staving off dementia, and that lifestyle changes such as exercise and nutrition could be beneficial in reducing the risk of the disease. However, Dr. Max Wintermark, a neuroradiologist at the University of Texas, cautioned that more research is needed to confirm the link between muscle loss and dementia risk.