Even Early Stage Kidney Disease Causes Cognitive Impairment

The link between age-related kidney dysfunction and cognitive impairment is an interesting one, particularly in the context of research into klotho, which has functions in both the kidney and the brain, and has been shown to extend life and improve cognitive function in animal studies. It isn't completely clear as to which of these areas of the body is most important to the noted benefits to cognitive function in animal models, produced via various strategies for klotho overexpression. The most recent research on this topic tends to suggest that the mechanisms are indirect, involving many organ systems, rather than being a direct effect in the brain. Klotho in the brain might not be as important as initially thought. The link between brain dysfunction and chronic kidney disease (CKD) was first noted in 1930, so it is not a new finding. Experts spoke of "dialysis dementia" or "uremic encephalopathy". What is new, however, is the finding that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may already be present in earlier stages of CKD, affecting approximately one in two CKD patients (prevalence varies in studies between 30% and 60%). In contrast to "normal" dementia, CKD-related MCI is not age-related, meaning the cognitive impairment exceeds that expected of the normal aging process. It usually worsens with declining glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of patients - the lower the GFR, the higher the risk of being affected by cognitive impairments. The pathogenesis appears compl...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs