Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is becoming a serious problem for developing countries as the lifespan of populations increases. Exercise is known to be clinically beneficial for MCI patients. Somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for this population. The objective of this study was to determine the acute effects of aerobic exercise on SEPs in patients with MCI, to test whether SEPs are sensitive enough to detect improvements in early somatosensory processing. The study had a randomized parallel-group design and included 28 MCI subjects (14 in the experimental group and 14 in the control group). The experimental intervention was 20 min of aerobic exercise using a stationary bicycle. The control intervention involved 20 min of movements and stretches. Subjects were assessed before and after a single intervention session. SEPs were recorded by stimulating the median nerve of the dominant hand. Analysis of normalized SEP peak amplitudes showed that a single session of aerobic activity significantly reduced the N30 peak at the F3 channel (p = 0.03). There were no significant effects of aerobic exercise on SEP peak latencies. The results indicate that 20 min of aerobic exercise has a significant effect on the N30 SEP peak amplitude in MCI patients. The results suggest that aerobic exercise is likely to provide sensory-enriching inputs that enhance sensorimotor integration. Future studies should assess the effects of aerobic exercise on somatosensory processing in progressive stages of Alzheimer’s disease, longer exercise durations, and multiple exercise sessions.
Highlights
As the lifespan of our population is increasing [1], it is leading to an increased prevalence of dementia [2]
Other studies [10,11] concluded that the primary somatosensory area may be spared in the early stages of cognitive impairment, but secondary somatosensory areas could be affected, as associated cortices have been reported to be affected in the early stages in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients [11,12]
This study reported that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients showed greater increases in amplitudes of N60 and P45 compared to the normal older adults [35]
Summary
As the lifespan of our population is increasing [1], it is leading to an increased prevalence of dementia [2]. One of the main targets of these therapeutic interventions is to prevent the formation of amyloid plaques or neurofibrillary tangles in different cortices of the brain [7]. These interventions are more effective when fewer neurons have become involved, at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) [8]. In an animal model study, Suva et al found that plaques became identifiable in the primary somatosensory area at the same time as they could be identified in the association cortices They could be found in the hippocampus earlier than other tested cortical areas [9]. Other studies [10,11] concluded that the primary somatosensory area may be spared in the early stages of cognitive impairment, but secondary somatosensory areas could be affected, as associated cortices have been reported to be affected in the early stages in MCI patients [11,12]
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