Abnormal grey matter structural changes in patients with end-stage kidney disease and mild cognitive impairment: correlations with clinical features

End-stage kidney disease and mild cognitive impairment (ESKD-MCI) affect the quality of life and long-term treatment outcomes of patients affected by these diseases. Clarifying the morphological changes from brain injuries in ESKD-MCI and their relationship with clinical features is helpful for the early identification and intervention of MCI before it progresses to irreversible dementia. This study gathered data from 23 patients with ESKD-MCI, 24 patients with ESKD and non-cognitive impairment (NCI), and 27 health controls (HCs). Structural magnetic resonance studies, cognitive assessments, and general clinical data were collected from all participants. Voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed to compare grey matter (GM) volume differences between the groups. The patients’ GM maps and clinical features were subjected to univariate regression to check for possible correlations. Patients with ESKD-MCI displayed significantly more impairments in multiple cognitive domains, including global cognition, visuospatial and executive function, and memory, compared to patients with ESKD-NCI. Using a more liberal threshold (P < 0.001, uncorrected), we found that compared to patients with ESKD-NCI, patients with ESKD-MCI exhibited clusters of regions with lower GM volumes, including the right hippocampus (HIP), parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), Rolandic operculum, and supramarginal gyrus. The volumes of the right HIP and PHG were negatively correlated with serum calcium levels. ESKD-MCI was associated with a subtle volume reduction of GM in several brain areas known to be involved in memory, language, and auditory information processing. We speculate that these slight morphometric impairments may be associated with disturbed calcium metabolism.