Dataset Information

Effect of 5 Years of Exercise Intervention at Different Intensities on Brain Structure in Older Adults from the General Population: A Generation 100 Substudy.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The aim was to examine the effect of a 5-year exercise intervention at different intensities on brain structure in older adults from the general population partaking in the randomized controlled trial Generation 100 Study.

Participants and methods

Generation 100 Study participants were invited to a longitudinal neuroimaging study before randomization. A total of 105 participants (52 women, 70-77 years) volunteered. Participants were randomized into supervised exercise twice a week performing high intensity interval training in 4×4 intervals at ~90% peak heart rate (HIIT, n = 33) or 50 minutes of moderate intensity continuous training at ~70% of peak heart rate (MICT, n = 24). The control group (n = 48) followed the national physical activity guidelines of ≥30 min physical activity daily. Brain MRI at 3T, clinical and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), measured as peak oxygen uptake, were collected at baseline, and after 1, 3, and 5 years of intervention. Brain volumes and cortical thickness were derived from T1 weighted 3D MRI data using FreeSurfer. The effect of HIIT or MICT on brain volumes over time was investigated with linear mixed models, while linear regressions examined the effect of baseline CRF on brain volumes at later time points.

Results

Adherence in each group was between 79 and 94% after 5 years. CRF increased significantly in all groups during the first year. Compared to controls, the HIIT group had significantly increased hippocampal atrophy located to CA1 and hippocampal body, though within normal range, and the MICT group greater thalamic atrophy. No other effects of intervention group were found. CRF across the intervention was not associated with brain structure, but CRF at baseline was positively associated with cortical volume at all later time points.

Conclusion

Higher baseline CRF reduced 5-year cortical atrophy rate in older adults, while following physical activity guidelines was associated with the lowest hippocampal and thalamic atrophy rates.

SUBMITTER: Pani J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8366938 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background: Aerobic exercise is proposed to attenuate cognitive decline in aging. We investigated the effect of different aerobic exercise interventions and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) upon cognition throughout a 5-year exercise intervention in older adults. Methods: 106 older adults (52 women, age 70-77 years) were randomized into high-intensity interval training (HIIT; ∼90% peak heart rate), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT; ∼70% peak heart rate), or control for 5 years. The HIIT and MICT groups performed supervised training twice weekly, while the control group was asked to follow the national physical activity guidelines (30 min of physical activity/day). At baseline, 1-, 3-, and 5-year follow-up, participants partook in cognitive testing (spatial memory, verbal memory, pattern separation, processing speed, working memory, and planning ability), underwent clinical testing, and filled out health-related questionnaires. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of the exercise group and CRF (measured as peak and max oxygen uptake) on each cognitive test. The effects of changes in CRF on changes in each cognitive test score throughout the intervention were also assessed. The associations between baseline CRF and cognitive abilities at the follow-ups were investigated using linear regressions. Results: There was no group-by-time interaction on the cognitive measures, and neither HIIT nor MICT participation was associated with better cognitive performance than control at any time point during the 5-year intervention. All groups increased their CRF similarly during the 1st year and subsequently declined back to baseline levels after 5 years. A higher CRF was associated with higher processing speed throughout the intervention while increasing CRF during the intervention was associated with better working memory and worse pattern separation. Higher CRF at baseline predicted consistently better processing speed and verbal memory performance. Conclusion: In this first 5-year randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of HIIT, MICT, and physical activity according to national guidelines on cognition, we observed no effect of exercise intervention group on cognition when compared to following the national physical activity guidelines. Still, the results showed that higher CRF and increasing CRF benefited multiple, but not all, cognitive abilities in older adults. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier [NCT01666340].

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