Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41532876›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2026

The Role of Brain Structure in Explaining Physical Functioning in Male Veterans With Impaired Kidney Function.

Julie S Rekant, Hinza B Malik, Jamie E Giffuni, Shari R Waldstein, Kelly P Westlake, Christos Davatzikos, Guray Erus, Stephen L Seliger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Julie S RekantGeriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Hinza B MalikDepartment of Psychology, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Jamie E GiffuniGeriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Shari R WaldsteinDepartment of Psychology, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Kelly P WestlakeDepartment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Christos DavatzikosDepartment of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Guray ErusDepartment of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Stephen L SeligerGeriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

University of Maryland Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (UM-OAIC)P30AG028747 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI Leslie I. Katzel, ALICE S. RYAN · 2006 to 2026
$28.9M
Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System, BaltimoreNIA NIH HHS P30 AG028747NIA NIH HHS P30AG028747RRD VA I01 RX000159U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsVA 1I01RX000159
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience deficits in physical function and cardiorespiratory fitness at higher rates than older adults without impaired renal function. Emerging evidence suggests covert brain pathology may be contributing to these functional impairments. However, much of the previous work has not controlled for common cardiac comorbidities also associated with brain pathology and reduced physical function. The present analysis investigates differences in global brain structure, physical performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness between older adults with CKD and hypertensive controls without kidney disease. This analysis also explores the role of brain structure in mediating the relationship between renal function and physical function while controlling for common cardiac comorbidities.

methodsForty-one older male veterans with CKD and 30 hypertensive controls were recruited from clinics at the VA Maryland Health Care System to complete physical function assessments (Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Short Physical Performance Battery, Timed Up and Go), a graded exercise treadmill test to evaluate fitness, and brain magnetic resonance imaging to quantify total gray matter volume, total white matter volume, and total white matter lesion volume. Group differences were assessed, then mediation of brain structure on the relationships between continuous measures of renal and physical function was evaluated with all participants combined.

resultsOlder male veterans with CKD had lower gray matter volume (597.5 ± 46.9 vs. 624.4 ± 51.4 cc), poorer endurance (6MWT: 431.2 ± 112.9 vs. 484.1 ± 99.4 m), and lower cardiorespiratory fitness (VO

conclusionsCKD-specific pathways, distinct from traditional hemodynamic or ischemic mechanisms, may be contributing to the impaired physical functioning observed among those with impaired renal function.

Indexed as

BrainCardiorespiratory FitnessPhysical Functional PerformanceRenal Insufficiency, ChronicVeteransAgedExercise TestHumansHypertensionMagnetic Resonance ImagingMalefitnessmobilitynephrologyneurology

Identifiers

PMID41532876
PMCPMC12911540

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.