Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of gardening activities in senior individuals on brain nerve growth factors related to cognitive function. Forty-one senior individuals (age 76.6 ± 6.0 years) were recruited from the local community in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea. A 20-min low-to-moderate intensity gardening activity intervention, making a vegetable garden, was performed by the subjects in a garden plot located on the Konkuk University (Seoul, South Korea) campus. The gardening involved six activities including cleaning a garden plot, digging, fertilizing, raking, planting/transplanting, and watering. To determine the effects of the gardening activities on brain nerve growth factors related to memory, blood samples were drawn twice from each subject before and after the gardening activity by professional nurses. The levels of brain nerve growth factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), were analyzed. Levels of BDNF and PDGF were significantly increased after the gardening activity. This study revealed a potential benefit of gardening activities for cognitive function in senior individuals.
Highlights
Brain function and memory decline in the aging process [1]
The objective of this study was to measure changes in key proteins related to cognitive function, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), through short-term, low-to-moderate intensity gardening activity in elderly individuals > 65 years of age
Decreased levels of these factors have been associated with age-related hippocampal dysfunction and memory impairment, increased BDNF levels resulting from aerobic exercise appears to ameliorate hippocampal deterioration and improve memory function [48,49]
Summary
Brain function and memory decline in the aging process [1]. A large hippocampal size is associated with good memory and cognitive function; atrophy of the hippocampus is associated with the development of dementia [7]. In Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to exhibit damage such as short-term memory loss and disorientation [8,9]. Previous studies have reported that participation in physical activity is associated with increased memory and cognition [10,11]. Acute aerobic physical activity has been shown to improve cognitive function [12,13,14], short-term memory and long-term memory [15,16,17,18,19,20]. Long-term cardiovascular exercise has been associated with improvement in short-term and long-term memory [20,21,22]
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