Association Between Skeletal Muscle Mass Indices and Cognitive Function Among Inpatients With Stable Schizophrenia

Objective To investigate the correlation between appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM)/height (ASMIht), ASM/body mass index (ASMIBMI), ASM/weight (ASMIwt), and ASM/waist circumference (ASMIwc) and cognitive function among inpatients with stable schizophrenia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 235 stable schizophrenia inpatients, including 60% males (n=141). Patient demographic information and body composition data were collected. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Chinese version (MoCA-C) was used to measure cognitive function. To determine the association between the muscle mass indices and cognitive function, multiple linear regressions were established. Results The median age of males and females were 51 years (range 42–55) and 51 (range 39–58), respectively. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed a significant association between ASMIwc and the MoCA-C scores (r=0.323, false discovery rate [FDR]=0.004) in males, while ASMIBMI, ASMIwt, and ASMIwc (r=0.268–0.421, all FDR <0.05) were significantly correlated with MoCA-C scores in females. Furthermore, covariate-adjusted multiple linear regression analysis further confirmed that only the ASMIwc was related to MoCAC scores after controlling for relevant variables (males: β=0.565, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.156–0.974, p=0.007; females: β=0.96, 95% CI, 0.394–1.526, p=0.001). Conclusion Our findings showed a substantial correlation between the ASMIwc and cognitive function in schizophrenia inpatients. Further validation of these data in broader study populations is now necessary.