A massive survey of citizens between the ages of 50 and 89 examined whether cognitive impairment could be detected by measuring sagittal spinal balance based on a radiological approach. Doctors at Shinshu University observed associations of anterior sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and a higher age with lower cognitive function. The sagittal vertical axis is the length of a horizontal line that connects the end plate of the posterior superior sacral with a vertical plumb drop from the centroid of the C7 vertebral body (Photo 1). The more protruding the head and neck in front of the pelvis when viewed sideways, (the greater the length), the more likely the subjects are to show symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. In men, SVA was associated with cognitive impairment regardless of age. In women, cognitive decline was more likely in cases of SVA equal to or greater than 70 mm regardless of age.
Mild cognitive impairment is cognitive complaints of the individual or their associates and without dementia. Dementia, frailty, and bedtime can be prevented by detecting mild cognitive impairment at a reversible stage in communities where expensive special testing equipment or additional medical testing time is limited for the older population. First author Hikaru Nishimura is an occupational therapist who investigates the problems that older people face from a rehabilitation perspective. Exercise training in older adults could extend the reach of dementia into prevention or prevent it all.
The author, Dr. Shota Ikegami of Shinshu University, says that poor posture is a manifestation of “fragility” in the elderly. Hidden cognitive decline, a component of fragility can be detected by posture screening. Older adults in the town of Obuse, Nagano were examined for the mass survey and it was found that in older Japanese adults, those with an anterior spine also were more likely to suffer a deterioration of the spine. cognitive function. Cognitive decline was reliably detected by combining age and degree of spinal imbalance. Men with SVA ≥ 100 mm at any age, SVA ≥ 90 mm at ≥ 70 years and SVA ≥ 70 mm at ≥ 80 years were likely to have cognitive impairment, while women with SVA ≥ 70 mm at any age were likely to have impaired cognitive. declivity.
Nagano Prefecture has the highest health longevity in Japan. With this study and others, doctors hope to prevent the future need for care through rehabilitation interventions for frail people found during screening tests.
This work was supported by a grant from the Japan Orthopedics and Traumatology Research Foundation, Inc. [no. 339], Shinshu Public Utility Foundation for the Promotion of Medical Sciences, Japan Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine Research Fund, Hospital Education Education, Research, and Health Care Promotion Project Shinshu University and the Nakatomi Foundation. None of the above funding sources played a role in the design, execution, analysis, interpretation of data, or drafting of the study.
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Magazine reference:
Nishimura, H., et al. (2022) Detection of cognitive impairment by assessing spinal posture in health examinations of the general population. Scientific reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12605-7.