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Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2026

July 12-15, 2026 | London, United Kingdom, and Online

9204

Temporalis Muscle Thickness As A Biomarker For Sarcopenia In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment Or Subjective Memory Concerns

Preview of Temporalis Muscle Thickness As A Biomarker For Sarcopenia In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment Or Subjective Memory Concerns

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Poster Presenter

Andrew Huynh

Authors

Andrew Huynh, Kate Sturzaker, Pierrick Bourgeat, James Andrews, Christopher Rowe, Kathryn Ellis, Chris Steward, Colin Masters, Patricia Desmond, Nicola Lautenschlager, Louise Burrell, Paul Yates

Affiliations

Department of Geriatric Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America ; Birmingham Atlanta VA GRECC, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America, Department of Molecular Imaging & Therapy, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Department of Radiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Alzheimer’s Research Australia, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Part of Topic

Introduction

Sarcopenia is:

•A progressive, generalised, age-related skeletal muscle disorder involving the accelerated loss of1:

•Muscle strength

•Muscle mass (quantity/quality)

•Muscle function

•Associated with dementia, in particular Alzheimer’s disease (AD)2

•Associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes1

•Falls

•Fractures

•Hospitalisation

•Residential aged care home admission

•Mortality

Current guideline-recommended tools to diagnose sarcopenia1, such as handgrip strength, sit-to-stand (STS) test, and to assess sarcopenia severity such as timed-up-and-go (TUG) test, are not commonly done in a diagnostic cognitive workup in memory clinics.

By contrast, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly performed in a cognition assessment, and temporalis muscle thickness (TMT) has been suggested as a potential sarcopenia biomarker. TMT has been used as a surrogate biomarker for sarcopenia in mild dementia3, Parkinson’s disease4 and stroke5.

This study evaluated if TMT was a useful sarcopenia diagnostic tool in people aged ≥65 years with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or subjective memory concerns (SMC). We determined if:

(1)TMT correlates with guideline-recommended sarcopenia tools

(2)TMT was associated with beta-amyloid (Aβ) positivity

(3)Aβ positivity correlated with guidelines recommended sarcopenia tools

Methods

•Retrospective study of older adults with MCI/SMC in the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) active study6.

•Participants underwent brain MRI, Aβ positron electron tomography (PET), and sarcopenia assessments (handgrip strength, STS, TUG) following recommended guidelines at baseline visit.

•TMT was measured on axial T1-weighted MRIs bilaterally perpendicular to the long-axis of the temporalis muscle using the orbital roof and Sylvian fissure as anatomical landmarks (Figure 1, arrow), and mean TMT was used for analysis.

•Aβ positivity defined as greater than 20 Centiloids.

•Sarcopenia defined per 2019 European working group on sarcopenia in older people criteria (EWGSOP2)1.

•

Analysis:

•Pearson correlation assessed the relationship between TMT and sarcopenia assessments

•Multivariable linear regression, adjusting for age and sex assessed the association between

•TMT and Aβ positivity

•Aβ positivity and sarcopenia assessments

Results

•There was no association between TMT and Aβ positivity.

•There was no association between Aβ positivity and sarcopenia assessments (handgrip strength, STS, TUG).

Discussions

•These findings suggest that MRI-based assessment of TMT could be a practical tool to diagnose probable sarcopenia in people with MCI or SMC.

•Automated artificial intelligence-based tools should be considered for an efficient, accurate and reliable method to assess TMT in brain MRIs.

•Limitations include small sample size, single site and a low number of participants with sarcopenia.

•Future studies should explore the relationship between TMT and long-term clinical and functional outcomes and whether TMT could be used to identify patients with probable sarcopenia for interventional trials.

Conclusions

•TMT correlated with handgrip strength in a cohort of older adults with MCI/SMC.

•TMT was not associated with Aβ positivity.

•Aβ positivity did not correlate with guideline recommended sarcopenia tools.

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