Investigation of the sympathetic nervous activity as a biomarker for frailty in older adults

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15889
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General internal medicine(including psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Shibasaki Koji 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 登録診療員 (20625735)
• Research Collaborator: AKISHITA masahiro ; OGAWA sumito ; ASAHI toshiomi ; YAMADA shizuru
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 交感神経 / 自律神経 / フレイル / サルコペニア / 要介護高齢者 / バイオマーカー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We showed that older people with frailty, requiring care and dependent activities of daily living (walking, toileting and grooming) were decreased their sympathetic nervous activity compared with older people without frailty. We also found that low sympathetic nervous activity led low blood pressure, disturbance of blood pressure maintenance system and high mortality in older people with decreased sympathetic nervous activity.
In addition, plasma leptin concentration which promotes appetite loss was higher in older people with low sympathetic nervous activity. Our data suggested that low sympathetic nervous activity possibly leads appetite loss and malnutrition. Further we showed the association between behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and rehabilitation outcome in hip fractured older people. To recover the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia indicated high physical functional recovery during rehabilitation.

Free Research Field

老年医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

高齢者の要介護要因は脳血管障害、認知症、骨折、高齢による衰弱などが挙げられ、身体機能低下や日常生活動作に障害を生じる。私たちの研究において、高齢者が要介護に陥る原因の一つに自律神経のうち、特に交感神経活性の低下が関与していることが明らかとなった。心電図で測定できる交感神経が高齢者のフレイルや要介護の指標となれば、フレイル、要介護になりやすい高齢者を簡単に予測でき、予防的介入を早期より行うことができるようになる。そして、10兆円を超えた介護保険費用削減の一助にもなりうる可能性が示唆された。