Aerobic Fitness May Contribute to CNS Health: Electrophysiological, Visual and Neurocognitive Evidence

Abstract

Relationships between aerobic fitness and CNS functioning, as defined by performance on neuropsychological and electrophysiological measures, were investigated in an exercise intervention study and in a cross-sectional study of young and older men with high and low fitness levels. The intervention study revealed that a 4-month walking program resulted in a 27% increase in maximum oxygen utilization (V02max) for previously sedentary 55-70 year old men and women. This increase in aerobic fitness was accompanied by significant improvement in response time, visual sensitivity, and performance on a battery of cognitive tests. The cross-sectional study showed: 1) that physically active older men could achieve and maintain V02max levels higher than those of sedentary men 30 years younger; 2) that aerobic fitness was generally associated with superior performance on measures of EEG, event-related potentials, visual sensitivity, and cognitive efficiency; and 3) that significant decrements in performance on ourelectrophysiological and neuropsychological measures had occurred by 50-62 years of age in healthy men. The positive relationships we observed between aerobic fitness and our dependent measures suggest that the practice of aerobic exercise may contribute to better CNS functioning, perhaps the result of exercise induced increases in cerebral oxygenation.