Physical function, functional capacity, cognition, and brain structure and function in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Mary F Hannan, Olu Ajilore, Xiaohong Joe Zhou and 3 others
PMID 39814616WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults with kidney disease and thinking complaints, better walking endurance and physical function were linked to faster attention and some brain white matter measures.
Other cognitive and brain links were absent. This single-time study cannot prove cause.
Key findings
01Each SD increase in 6MWT distance was associated with faster TMT-A time and higher digit symbol score.
02Each SD increase in SPPB total score was associated with faster TMT-A time, but physical function and capacity were not associated with other cognitive tests.
03Each SD increase in 6MWT distance was associated with better white matter volume and fractional anisotropy measures; each SD increase in SPPB total score was associated with fractional anisotropy measures, but no other brain associations were identified.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a small, convenience sample of 39 adults, so the associations are exploratory and may not generalise to all older adults with CKD and self-identified thinking complaints. All measurements were taken at one point in time, so the study cannot show that physical function or walking capacity causes cognitive or brain changes. Multiple comparisons were conducted, and some variables were not normally distributed, so some associations could be spurious. The analysis could not adjust for all potential confounders, including years of education, frailty, baseline device-measured physical activity, and handedness. Frailty and need for assistance with healthcare needs were not assessed, so the degree of impairment may not be fully captured.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The supplied text does not name a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that exercise improves cognition or brain structure in older adults with CKD. It analysed baseline associations at one time point in 39 adults, so it cannot show that physical function or walking capacity causes cognitive or brain changes.