Oral Presentation Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Temporalis muscle thickness and frailty are associated with falls risk in people with mild cognitive impairment/subjective cognitive concerns (#28)

Kate Sturzaker 1 , Andrew Huynh 1 2 3 , Kathryn Ellis 4 , Patricia Desmond 5 , Chris Steward 5 , Scott Wrigley 2 , Christopher C Rowe 1 6 , Louise M Burrell 1 , Colin L Masters 3 , Nicola T Lautenschlager 4 , Paul A Yates 1 2
  1. Department of Medicine, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
  2. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
  3. Alzheimer’s Research Australia, The University of Western Australia, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  5. Department of Radiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  6. Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Austin Health and University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia

Aims

Both sarcopenia and frailty are associated with falls in older adults. Sarcopenia is characterised by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, while frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to stressors due to decreased physiological reserve. Identification of individuals at risk of sarcopenia remains challenging in clinical practice. Temporalis muscle thickness (TMT), measured on T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has been proposed as a surrogate marker for sarcopenia. This study aimed to examine whether TMT and frailty are associated with falls.

 

Methods

Retrospective study of participants with mild cognitive impairment/subjective cognitive concerns from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Active study, an exercise intervention study, with data linked with AIBL for longitudinal follow-up. TMT was measured bilaterally, with average TMT used for analysis. Sarcopenia was defined using TMT sex-adjusted cut-offs (Males≤6.3mm, Females≤5.2mm)1. Frailty was defined using a frailty index (frail>0.25). Cox proportional hazards models examined the relationship between sarcopenia, frailty and self-reported falls over 5-years, adjusting for age and treatment allocation.

 

Results

91 participants (mean±standard deviation age 73.5±5.8 years, 55% female, 19% frail, TMT 7.5±1.5 mm, 9% sarcopenia). In adjusted analysis, both sarcopenia and frailty were associated with 5-year falls risk (Sarcopenia: hazard ratio (HR) 3.69, 95% CI 1.18–11.53, p=0.025; frailty: HR 3.32 95% CI 1.15 – 9.58, p=0.026).

 

Conclusions

TMT is a promising biomarker for identifying older adults at increased risk of falls. Its integration into clinical radiology workflows, in addition to assessing frailty, may support early intervention efforts targeting fall prevention.

  1. Steindl A, Leitner J, Schwarz M, et al. Sarcopenia in Neurological Patients: Standard Values for Temporalis Muscle Thickness and Muscle Strength Evaluation. J Clin Med. 2020; 9(5):1272.