Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) might contribute to a high risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study by scientists from the US and China. A study published in Nature Mental Health examined MRI data from 9000 people within the UK and discovered a connection between knee osteoarthritis and accelerated brain aging. The study provides a window for researchers into how inflammation and cognitive function can be linked in the future since more than half of the global population is experiencing CMP. According to researchers, CMP’s role in accelerated cognitive decline has not been studied yet, but numerous older adults are at a greater risk of dementia.
Researchers have developed a comparative model using structural MRI data, allowing them to examine differences between brain age and chronological age. It was found that people with KOA (knee osteoarthritis) experience more rapid brain aging than those without it.
Inflammation within the body has been seen as a contributing factor to neurological ailments. A pain management specialist not involved in the study analyzes that inflammation and chronic pain can interrupt and alter the brain’s processing patterns.
Chronic inflammation like knee Osteoartiritis or CMP are linked to changes within the central nervous systems causing neuroplasticity which changes in the structural and functional state of the brain. Chronic pain (CP) causes significant alterations in the brain’s structure and function due to changes in pain processing and disrupted cognitive functions, including the prefrontal cortex. According to doctors, inflammation that arises from acute pain can become chronic if not appropriately addressed.
A new study suggests that the gene SLC39A8 evident in microglial cells and astrocytes is the connection between KOA and cognitive decline. SLC39A8 encodes the protein ZIP8, which transports essential metals like ferrum, manganese, and zinc, as well as the nonessential neurotoxic metal cadmium.
Genetic mutation might affect the transport and uptake of essential metals to mitochondria, particularly manganese, which is an important component for the health and function of the brain cells. Excess metal exposure or toxic effects can have major side effects.
Traits with which SLC39A8-deficiency variants are currently associated include Mn2+-deficient hypoglycosylation. Numerous congenital disabilities; decreased serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels; increased body mass index; greater risk of coronary artery disease, hypotension, cardiovascular death, and Parkinson’s disease, among many others. One of the limitations of the study is that the focus of the data became too narrow for studying such a significant cognitive drop since it was primarily about chronic knee pain and the path to brain aging related to SLC39A8.
Journal Reference – Zhao, L., Liu, J., Zhao, W., Chen, J., Fan, J., Ge, T., & Tu, Y. (2024). Morphological and genetic decoding shows heterogeneous patterns of brain aging in chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00223-3
