Abstract
A healthy lifestyle is an important focus in today's society. The physical benefits of regular exercise are abundantly clear, but physical fitness is also associated with better cognitive performance. How these two factors together relate to characteristics of the brain is still incompletely understood. By applying mathematical concepts from ‘network theory’, insights in the organization and dynamics of brain functioning can be obtained. We test the hypothesis that neural network organization mediates the association between cardio respiratory fitness (i.e. VO2 max) and cognitive functioning. A healthy cohort was studied (n = 219, 113 women, age range 41–44 years). Subjects underwent resting-state eyes-closed magneto-encephalography (MEG). Five artifact-free epochs were analyzed and averaged in six frequency bands (delta-gamma). The phase lag index (PLI) was used as a measure of functional connectivity between all sensors. Modularity analysis was performed, and both within and between-module connectivity of each sensor was calculated. Subjects underwent a maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) measurement as an indicator of cardio respiratory fitness. All subjects were tested with a commonly used Dutch intelligence test. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was related to VO2 max. In addition, VO2 max was negatively associated with upper alpha and beta band modularity. Particularly increased intermodular connectivity in the beta band was associated with higher VO2 max and IQ, further indicating a benefit of more global network integration as opposed to local connections. Within-module connectivity showed a spatially varied pattern of correlation, while average connectivity did not show significant results. Mediation analysis was not significant. The occurrence of less modularity in the resting-state is associated with better cardio respiratory fitness, while having increased intermodular connectivity, as opposed to within-module connections, is related to better physical and mental fitness.
Highlights
A healthy lifestyle is a major focus in today’s society
The important role of functional connectivity in the relationship between physical fitness and cognition was confirmed in another study by Voss and colleagues, showing that the association between exercise and connectivity is related to brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are markers for neuroplasticity [20]
Physical fitness and cognitive functioning are related. We show that this relation is associated with topology of the functional brain network during the resting-state
Summary
A healthy lifestyle is a major focus in today’s society. Regular exercise and adequate physical fitness have proven to be important for the immune system, metabolism, prevention of infectious disease, skeletal functioning, and risk of cancer [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Several neural factors have been reported to mediate the relationship between mental and physical fitness, including increased neural vascularization [8], increased production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; [9]), increased hippocampal volume [10], and higher levels of Nacetylaspartate [11], none of these mediators fully explain the reported associations. Another framework that has elucidated the neural correlates of the association between cognition and physical fitness is restingstate functional connectivity, as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The important role of functional connectivity in the relationship between physical fitness and cognition was confirmed in another study by Voss and colleagues, showing that the association between exercise and connectivity is related to BDNF, insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are markers for neuroplasticity [20]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
