Verstynen Timothy D, Lynch Brighid, Miller Destiny L, Voss Michelle W, Prakash Ruchika Shaurya, Chaddock Laura, Basak Chandramallika, Szabo Amanda, Olson Erin A, Wojcicki Thomas R, Fanning Jason, Gothe Neha P, McAuley Edward, Kramer Arthur F, Erickson Kirk I
Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
J Aging Res. 2012;2012:939285. doi: 10.1155/2012/939285. Epub 2012 Jul 31.
The basal ganglia play a central role in regulating the response selection abilities that are critical for mental flexibility. In neocortical areas, higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels are associated with increased gray matter volume, and these volumetric differences mediate enhanced cognitive performance in a variety of tasks. Here we examine whether cardiorespiratory fitness correlates with the volume of the subcortical nuclei that make up the basal ganglia and whether this relationship predicts cognitive flexibility in older adults. Structural MRI was used to determine the volume of the basal ganglia nuclei in a group of older, neurologically healthy individuals (mean age 66 years, N = 179). Measures of cardiorespiratory fitness (VO(2max)), cognitive flexibility (task switching), and attentional control (flanker task) were also collected. Higher fitness levels were correlated with higher accuracy rates in the Task Switching paradigm. In addition, the volume of the caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus positively correlated with Task Switching accuracy. Nested regression modeling revealed that caudate nucleus volume was a significant mediator of the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness, and task switching performance. These findings indicate that higher cardiorespiratory fitness predicts better cognitive flexibility in older adults through greater grey matter volume in the dorsal striatum.
基底神经节在调节对心理灵活性至关重要的反应选择能力方面发挥着核心作用。在新皮层区域，较高的心肺适能水平与灰质体积增加相关，并且这些体积差异在各种任务中调节增强的认知表现。在这里，我们研究心肺适能是否与构成基底神经节的皮质下核团体积相关，以及这种关系是否能预测老年人的认知灵活性。使用结构磁共振成像来确定一组年龄较大、神经系统健康的个体（平均年龄66岁，N = 179）的基底神经节核团体积。还收集了心肺适能（最大摄氧量）、认知灵活性（任务切换）和注意力控制（侧翼任务）的测量数据。在任务切换范式中，较高的适能水平与较高的准确率相关。此外，尾状核、壳核和苍白球的体积与任务切换准确率呈正相关。嵌套回归模型显示，尾状核体积是心肺适能与任务切换表现之间关系的显著中介因素。这些发现表明，较高的心肺适能通过背侧纹状体中更大的灰质体积预测老年人更好的认知灵活性。
