An Examination of the Relationship Between Ageing, Cardiovascular Fitness and Aspects of Cognitive Functioning.

Abstract

Research has suggested that deterioration in cognitive function is not an inevitable concomitant of ageing and has started to focus on identifying lifestyle factors which may ameliorate age-associated cognitive decline. One such lifestyle factor that has received much empirical attention is exercise. PURPOSE: This research aimed to investigate the relationship between an individual's age, fitness level, and cognitive function on 3 cognitive tasks. These tasks measured simple reaction time (SRT task), working memory (Spatial Span task), and inhibition (stop-signal task). METHODS: 24 participants volunteered for this study and were assigned to one of four groups based on age and fitness (predicted VO2max as measured by a submaximal treadmill test). The groups were young trained (24.67 yrs ± 2.16 yrs), young untrained (23.83 yrs ± 2.86 yrs) old trained (50.83 yrs ± 7.47 yrs), and old untrained (60 yrs ± 4.24 yrs). Participants were then assessed on the 3 cognitive tasks. RESULTS: Preliminary results show that for the SRT task and the SST there was no significant difference between groups however, significant differences were observed for the working memory task; the young untrained group was significantly better than the old trained group (F (3,20) =5.314, p =.046) and the old untrained group 4 (F (3,20) =5.314, p =.014). CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that for basic cognitive tasks like the SRT task, increased age does not negatively influence information processing speed. However, results suggest that working memory deteriorates with age, regardless of fitness level as both older groups showed a decline in task performance compared to younger individuals. These results are somewhat consistent with findings (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003) that suggest fitness would have a greater effect on executive functions (working memory) compared to basic tasks (SRT) given that these tasks are dependent on the frontal lobes which deteriorate more rapidly than other brain regions. This study found that tasks which require frontal lobe involvement were prone to age-associated cognitive decline, however this was not mediated by fitness level. Colcombe, S., & Kramer, A. F. (2003). Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: A meta-analytic study. Psychological Science, 14, 125-130.