Abstract
Episodic memory decline caused by the deterioration of hippocampus is one of the most typical manifestations of cognitive aging. Maintaining and promoting memory function as well as delaying hippocampal deterioration is important for improving the quality of life for the elderly. Although different levels of evidence supported the positive links among aerobic exercise, cognitive function and aging brains, it remains controversial whether aerobic exercise can improve memory function and hippocampal volume. Dance is a multi-component aerobic exercise integrating physical exercise, cognition, and social stimulation. Square dance has become the most popular leisure activity among Chinese elderly women, and it has been estimated to have over 100 million elderly practitioners in mainland China. We investigated the impacts of square dance on memory function, hippocampal volume and resting-state function by conducting a four-month dance randomized controlled trial. Eighty-five community-dwelling older adults with sedentary life style were randomly assigned to square dance group (n=29), stretching group ( as active control, n=27), or passive control group (n=29). Before and after the intervention, aerobic fitness and cognitive functions were tested. MRI scans were conducted for dance and active control groups. Improvement in aerobic fitness was only observed in dance group but not the stretching group, and both dance and stretching groups demonstrated greater self-reported physical activity levels. Compared with passive controls, both dance and stretching groups showed increased performance on verbal and visual delayed memory. Memory improvements was correlated with changes in aerobic fitness and physical activity. Dance group demonstrated reduced grey matter volume in right parahippocampus. Compared to the stretching group, dance group showed increased functional connectivity between parahippocampus/hippocampus and occipital and frontal lobes and decreased parahippocampal connectivity with parietal lobe. The improvement in parahippocampus-fusiform gyrus connectivity positively correlated with memory improvement. The findings revealed that square dance benefited the maintaining and promoting of memory function, and the beneficial effect was correlated to hippocampal function change. This is the first study to prove the plasticity of memory and hippocampus in elderly resulted from square dance for the Chinese elderly people.
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