Your bones could hold clues about what is happening in your brain, and a common imaging test could help uncover them, according to a new study that found people with lower bone density in their spine were more likely to experience faster decline in thinking ability. The study, published in Radiology, also found that lower spinal bone density was associated with worsening changes in the brain’s white matter over time. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University analyzed data from 2,086 people from an existing study, using CT scans to estimate vertebral volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) in the thoracic, or upper and middle, spine.
Of those participants, 715 also had brain MRI scans and cognitive testing that could be used to examine how bone density related to changes in the brain and thinking ability. People who had a lower vBMD at the beginning of the study tended to show a faster decline in overall cognitive ability. They also had greater progression of certain changes in the brain.
These included an increase in white matter hyperintensities in the corpus callosum. These abnormalities can be seen on MRI scans and were associated with cognitive decline and a higher risk of dementia. Sara Momtazmanesh, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, cautioned that the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that bone loss directly causes brain decline.
Our data best fit shared vulnerability, meaning the same underlying processes that weaken bone also damage the brain,” she told Newsweek. The study also found a greater decline in fractional anisotropy in the anterior limb of the internal capsule, a measure related to changes in the microscopic organization of white matter. Some of the brain regions involved in these associations are important for functions such as working memory, attention, and executive function.
The researchers suggest that biological factors could potentially contribute to changes in both bone and brain health. They point to possible shared metabolic factors, dyslipidemia, and menopausal changes. However, the study also did not prove that these factors explain the association.
Momtazmanesh said two participant groups appeared to stand out, although she emphasized that the analyses were exploratory and based on small subgroups, meaning the findings require further study before firm conclusions can be drawn. She explained: “The clearest was people with diabetes. Among them, lower bone density was linked to faster accumulation of white matter hyperintensities, the bright spots on MRI that reflect damage to small blood vessels, while we saw essentially no association in participants without diabetes.
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