Department of Neurology, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Strasse 33, Muenster, Germany.
Neurobiol Aging. 2011 Jul;32(7):1304-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.08.001. Epub 2009 Aug 29.
Previous studies have suggested beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition. Here, we asked in an interventional approach if physical activity performed at different intensity levels would differentially affect episodic memory function. Additionally, we tried to identify mechanisms mediating these changes. Sixty-two healthy elderly individuals were assessed for level of physical activity, aerobic fitness, episodic memory score, neurotrophin and catecholamine levels, and received a magnetic resonance image of the brain at baseline and after a six months intervention of medium or low-intensity physical activity or control. Increase in total physical activity was positively associated with increase in memory score over the entire cohort, without significant differences between intensity groups. It was also positively associated with increases in local gray matter volume in prefrontal and cingulate cortex, and BDNF levels (trend). In conclusion, we showed that physical activity conveys the beneficial effects on memory function independently of its intensity, possibly mediated by local gray matter volume and neurotrophic factors. Our findings may carry significant implications for prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly.
先前的研究表明，身体活动对认知有益。在这里，我们通过干预的方法来探究不同强度的身体活动是否会对情景记忆功能产生不同的影响。此外，我们还试图确定介导这些变化的机制。我们评估了 62 名健康的老年人的身体活动水平、有氧健身水平、情景记忆评分、神经生长因子和儿茶酚胺水平，并在基线和 6 个月的中强度或低强度身体活动或对照组干预后对他们的大脑进行了磁共振成像。整个队列中，总身体活动的增加与记忆评分的增加呈正相关，而不同强度组之间没有显著差异。它还与前额叶和扣带回皮层的局部灰质体积增加以及 BDNF 水平（趋势）呈正相关。总之，我们表明，身体活动对记忆功能的有益影响与强度无关，可能是通过局部灰质体积和神经营养因子介导的。我们的研究结果可能对预防老年人认知能力下降具有重要意义。
