ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Aging Psychiatry
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1622973
Nonlinear Association Between TyG-related Indices and Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome in Depressive Individuals: Evidence from the CHARLS Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- 2Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, China
- 3International Mongolian Medical Hospital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, China
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Background: Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome (MCR), defined by cognitive complaints and slow gait, is a pre-dementia condition linked to metabolic dysfunction. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and its composite derivatives are surrogate markers of insulin resistance and may contribute to cognitive decline. This study investigated the associations between TyG-related indices and MCR risk in middle-aged and older adults with depressive symptoms, focusing on nonlinear relationships and subgroup modifications. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 5,790 participants aged ≥45 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Associations between four TyG-related indices (TyG, TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, TyG-WHtR) and MCR were assessed using logistic regression. Nonlinear associations were examined via generalized additive models and twopiecewise linear regression. Stratified analyses explored effect modifications by age, sex, education, and depressive status. Results: All TyG-related indices were positively associated with MCR. TyG-BMI demonstrated the strongest and most consistent association, with a significant threshold at 276.21. Below this point, MCR risk increased with TyG-BMI (OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00-1.02; P = 0.001), while no association was found above it (P = 0.416). Similar nonlinear trends were observed in depressive individuals. Subgroup analyses indicated stronger associations in older adults (≥60 years), females, smokers, and those with lower education, whereas higher education appeared protective. Conclusion: TyG-BMI demonstrates a nonlinear association with MCR risk and may serve as an accessible biomarker for early cognitive risk detection in depressive individuals.
Keywords: Motoric cognitive risk syndrome, TyG-BMI, Insulin Resistance, nonlinear association, Depression, CHARLS
Received: 05 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wei, Li, Liu, Wang, WANG, Liu, Ba, Kong and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Li Kong, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, China
Feihu Zhang, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, China
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