Effect Of Flexi-bar Exercise Intervention On Cognitive Function Of Middle-aged And Elderly Women

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Aerobic training (AT) can improve the ability of working memory and inhibitory control of healthy elderly. Flexi-Bar vibration exercise, as a special form of exercise has been confirmed to have a positive effect on the cognition. This study aimed to evaluate whether Flexi-Bar exercise can be used as an effective intervention to delay the decline of cognitive function caused by aging and its potential mechanism. METHODS:A total of 30 middle-aged and elderly sedentary women (aged 55.47 ± 5.45 years) were randomly divided into the intervention group and the control group. Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and international physical activity questionnaire (iPAQ) were administered at baseline before randomization. The ability of inhibitory control was assessed via the Stroop task before and after the whole intervention. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure the oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) concentrations in the prefrontal area. The intervention group was given the Flexi-Bar exercise intervention 3 days/week for 8 weeks with an intensity of 50 ~ 65% HRmax for 1 hour/day, and the real-time heart rate monitoring was carried out during the intervention. The control group only maintained normal daily life. RESULT:(1) Compared with the control group, O2Hb in the left ventral dorsolateral prefrontal lobe in the exercise group significantly increased (p < 0.05, t = 2.46). (2) Compared with the pre-test of EX group, the brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) in the intervention group significantly increased after the intervention (p < 0.05, t = 2.304), but there was no significant difference in the control group (p > 0.05). (3) In terms of epigenetic miRNA, a total of 165 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened between the intervention group and the control group, of which 60 miRNAs were related to the cognitive function. In the intervention group, 4 miRNAs positively correlated with cognitive decline were down-regulated (all p < 0.01). The down-regulation of miR-126-5p and miR-21-5p was negatively correlated with the expression of BDNF. CONCLUSION:These findings supported our hypothesis by demonstration of a beneficial effect of Flexi-Bar exercise that can improve the cognitive function of middle-aged and elderly people.