Aging-related decline in
cognitive function is a rapidly increasing societal challenge in nations where
the population is aging rapidly such as in European Union countries. With
normal aging there are a number of changes in brain structure and function, and
degeneration of cerebral white matter (that is composed of connections linking
brain areas together) has been consistently observed to take place with aging. This
degeneration of brain connectivity has been further observed to correlate with aging-related
decline in cognitive functioning. While cardio-respiratory (i.e., aerobic) fitness has been
reported to protect against aging-associated cognitive decline, the effects of
aerobic fitness on white-matter integrity in aging have remained an open question.
In their recent study, Voss et
al. (2012) showed that increased aerobic fitness caused by a one-year walking program predicted
enhanced white-matter integrity in prefrontal and temporal lobe areas that are
especially susceptible to the adverse effects of aging. Aerobic fitness that
resulted from the exercise intervention also predicted short-term memory
improvements. These results extend in a very interesting way the scope of applications
of diffusion imaging methods and even though the authors failed to see any
statistically significant associations between the increased white-matter
integrity and short-term memory improvements, these results are nonetheless
promising, provide an important contribution to understanding the neuro-cognitive
protective effects of aerobic exercise in aging, and suggest that aerobic
training is highly important for aging persons.
Reference: Voss MW, Heo S, Prakash RS, Erickson KI, Alves H, Chaddock L, Szabo AN, Mailey EL, Wojcicki TR, White SM, Gothe N, McAuley E, Sutton BP, Kramer AF. The influence of aerobic fitness on cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive function in older adults: results of a one-year exercise intervention. Human Brain Mapping (2012), e-publication prior to print. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hbm.22119
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