Zhao Emily, Tranovich Michael J, DeAngelo Ron, Kontos Anthony P, Wright Vonda J
a Department of Orthopaedic Surgery , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA , USA.
b UPMC Sports Performance, Department of Sports Medicine , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA , USA.
Phys Sportsmed. 2016;44(1):8-13. doi: 10.1080/00913847.2016.1103641. Epub 2015 Oct 29.
Exercise is beneficial for both the body and the mind, and it has been associated with protective neurocognitive effects, such as increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurogenesis. These effects are linked to the attenuation of age-related mental decline and the preservation of mental capacities in older, physically active adults. This study evaluated whether masters athletes, a highly active population, have better cognitive function compared to age-matched non-athletes based on the Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) tool.
Masters athletes and sedentary controls were recruited and screened for eligibility. All subjects were excluded if they had preexisting neurological diseases, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse disorders, learning disorders, and/or a history of traumatic brain injury, and in addition, control subjects were excluded if they performed >1 h/week of aerobic exercise. All participants completed a health and activity survey which includes the SF-12 and the ImPACT neurocognitive test which measures verbal and visual memory as well as reaction time. Differences between masters athletes and the control population were determined by ImPACT score composites.
51 pairs of athletes and non-athletes were analyzed. Athletes had significantly higher verbal memory scores (85.9 ± 7.7 vs 79.9 ± 13.9, p = 0.01) and faster reaction times (0.71 ± 0.12 vs 0.76 ± 0.15 s, p = 0.04) on the ImPACT test. Athletes also scored significantly higher on the physical components summary score of the SF-12 (55.0 ± 3.3 vs 51.8 ± 6.7, p = 0.004).
Masters athletes performed better on verbal memory and reaction time test, as well as on physical function as evaluated by the SF-12, compared to non-athlete controls. Chronic physical activity may preserve neurocognitive processes and increase physical health, which are protective factors for the negative effects of the aging process.
运动对身体和心理均有益，且与保护性神经认知效应相关，如脑源性神经营养因子水平升高和神经发生增加。这些效应与年龄相关的智力衰退的减轻以及身体活跃的老年人心理能力的保持有关。本研究基于脑震荡后即刻评估和认知测试（ImPACT）工具，评估了高水平运动员这一高度活跃人群与年龄匹配的非运动员相比是否具有更好的认知功能。
招募高水平运动员和久坐不动的对照组并进行资格筛选。如果受试者有既往神经疾病、精神障碍、药物滥用障碍、学习障碍和/或创伤性脑损伤病史，则将其全部排除，此外，如果对照受试者每周进行超过1小时的有氧运动，也将其排除。所有参与者均完成了一项健康与活动调查，其中包括SF-12以及测量言语和视觉记忆以及反应时间的ImPACT神经认知测试。高水平运动员与对照组之间的差异通过ImPACT分数综合评估来确定。
分析了51对运动员和非运动员。在ImPACT测试中，运动员的言语记忆分数显著更高（85.9±7.7对79.9±13.9，p = 0.01），反应时间更快（0.71±0.12对0.76±0.15秒，p = 0.04）。运动员在SF-12的身体成分总结分数上也显著更高（55.0±3.3对51.8±6.7，p = 0.004）。
与非运动员对照组相比，高水平运动员在言语记忆和反应时间测试以及通过SF-12评估的身体功能方面表现更好。长期体育活动可能会保留神经认知过程并增进身体健康，而这些都是对抗衰老过程负面影响的保护因素。
