Evaluating frailty scores across experimental groups in rodent models: bridging physical and cognitive domains.

Abstract

Frailty, a reversible clinical geriatric syndrome, impairs the ability to maintain homeostasis, leading to severe consequences such as hospitalization and death. Cognitive frailty, characterized by the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, has garnered increasing attention in recent years. Preclinical models, especially rodent studies, are essential for understanding frailty and developing interventions to mitigate associated conditions. Traditionally, animal studies have focused solely on physical frailty. We have pioneered the inclusion of cognitive parameters by developing a novel physical-cognitive frailty score (FS) in animal research, in order to assess the effectiveness of anti-aging interventions. Here, we provide a detailed example of the FS calculation at the group level, which can serve as a guide for other studies. This dual-focus approach also helps in understanding how physical frailty and cognitive impairment interact to exacerbate adverse health outcomes and provides an opportunity to evaluate potential interventions that target both physical and cognitive dimensions of frailty more reliably.