Mild cognitive impairment in copd is associated with reduced functional performance, independent of disease characteristics, nutritional status, or plasma amino acid changes

Rationale: Previously we observed reduced cognitive performance in Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) patients with skeletal muscle weakness. To better understand the potential link between brain and muscle dysfunction in COPD, we examined whether daily functional performance is impaired in COPD patients with mild cognitive impairment, and if disease severity/history, nutritional status, and amino acid modulators of brain serotonergic and dopaminergic function play a role.