Abstract
Recent studies revealed a positive influence of physical activity on cognitive functioning in older adults. Studies that investigate the behavioral and neurophysiological effects of type and long term duration of physical training, however, are missing. We performed a 12-month longitudinal study to investigate the effects of cardiovascular and coordination training (control group: relaxation and stretching) on cognitive functions (executive control and perceptual speed) in older adults. We analyzed data of 44 participants aged 62–79 years. Participants were trained three times a week for 12 months. Their physical and cognitive performance was tested prior to training, and after 6 and 12 months. Changes in brain activation patterns were investigated using functional MRI. On the behavioral level, both experimental groups improved in executive functioning and perceptual speed but with differential effects on speed and accuracy. In line with the behavioral findings, neurophysiological results for executive control also revealed changes (increases and reductions) in brain activity for both interventions in frontal, parietal, and sensorimotor cortical areas. In contrast to the behavioral findings, neurophysiological changes were linear without indication of a plateau. In both intervention groups, prefrontal areas showed decreased activation after 6 and 12 months when performing an executive control task, as compared to the control group, indicating more efficient information processing. Furthermore, cardiovascular training was associated with an increased activation of the sensorimotor network, whereas coordination training was associated with increased activation in the visual–spatial network. Our data suggest that besides cardiovascular training also other types of physical activity improve cognition of older adults. The mechanisms, however, that underlie the performance changes seem to differ depending on the intervention.
Highlights
The importance of physical activity for the improvement and preservation of cognitive abilities in healthy older people has repeatedly been shown during recent decades (e.g., Colcombe and Kramer, 2003; Lustig et al, 2009)
Older adults participating in a 6-month cardiovascular training intervention showed greater activations in cortical regions associated with the effective control of attention as well as better inhibition of distracting information as indicated by lower activity in the anterior cingular cortex (ACC)
Analysis separated by exercise groups revealed a different development for motor fitness with regard to the training program: The cardiovascular group participants revealed an improvement in feet tapping of 36.9% [F(2, 40) = 11.46, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.36] and one-leg-stand with eyes closed of 52.6% [F(2, 40) = 4.10, p = 0.024, η2 = 0.17]
Summary
The importance of physical activity for the improvement and preservation of cognitive abilities in healthy older people has repeatedly been shown during recent decades (e.g., Colcombe and Kramer, 2003; Lustig et al, 2009). Older adults participating in a 6-month cardiovascular training intervention showed greater activations in cortical regions associated with the effective control of attention (right middle frontal gyrus, MFG; superior frontal gyrus, SFG; superior parietal lobus, SPL) as well as better inhibition of distracting information as indicated by lower activity in the anterior cingular cortex (ACC). Functional brain imaging data of this study revealed that physical and motor fitness differentially related to cognitive processes. Whereas, both physical and motor fitness were related to more efficient cognitive processing, as indicated by less cortical activations in areas responsible for executive control (superior and middle frontal cortex), motor fitness was related to greater activation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
