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Prefrontal Plasticity after a 3-Month Exercise Intervention in Older Adults Relates to Enhanced Cognitive Performance.

Prefrontal Plasticity after a 3-Month Exercise Intervention in Older Adults Relates to Enhanced Cognitive Performance.

Authors :
Soshi T
Andersson M
Kawagoe T
Nishiguchi S
Yamada M
Otsuka Y
Nakai R
Abe N
Aslah A
Igasaki T
Sekiyama K
Source :
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) [Cereb Cortex] 2021 Aug 26; Vol. 31 (10), pp. 4501-4517.
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

This study examined exercise intervention effects on older adults' brain structures and function. Brain data were analyzed from 47 healthy adults between 61 and 82 years of age who, in a previous study, showed cognitive improvement following a 3-month intervention. The participants were assigned to a motor exercise intervention group (nā€‰=ā€‰24), performing exercise training programs for a 12-week period, or a waiting control group (nā€‰=ā€‰23), abstaining from any exercise program. Structural analysis of the frontal cortex and hippocampus revealed increased gray matter volume and/or thickness in several prefrontal areas in the intervention group and reduced hippocampal gray matter volume in the control group. Importantly, the volume increase in the middle frontal sulcus in the intervention group was associated with a general cognitive improvement after the intervention. Functional analysis showed that the prefrontal functional connectivity during a working memory task differently changed in response to the intervention or waiting in the two groups. The functional connectivity decreased in the intervention group, whereas the corresponding connectivity increased in the control group, which was associated with maintaining cognitive performance. The current longitudinal findings indicate that short-term exercise intervention can induce prefrontal plasticity associated with cognitive performance in older adults.<br /> (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1460-2199
Volume :
31
Issue :
10
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
34009242
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab102