Müller Patrick, Rehfeld Kathrin, Schmicker Marlen, Hökelmann Anita, Dordevic Milos, Lessmann Volkmar, Brigadski Tanja, Kaufmann Jörn, Müller Notger G
Neuroprotection Laboratory, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Magdeburg, Germany.
Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2017 Mar 14;9:56. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00056. eCollection 2017.
From animal research, it is known that combining physical activity with sensory enrichment has stronger and longer-lasting effects on the brain than either treatment alone. For humans dancing has been suggested to be analogous to such combined training. Here we assessed whether a newly designed dance training program that stresses the constant learning of new movement patterns is superior in terms of neuroplasticity to conventional fitness activities with repetitive exercises and whether extending the training duration has additional benefits. Twenty-two healthy seniors (63-80 years) who had been randomly assigned to either a dance or a sport group completed the entire 18-month study. MRI, BDNF and neuropsychological tests were performed at baseline and after 6 and 18 months of intervention. After 6 months, we found a significant increase in gray matter volume in the left precentral gyrus in the dancers compared to controls. This neuroplasticity effect may have been mediated by the increased BDNF plasma levels observed in the dancers. Regarding cognitive measures, both groups showed significant improvements in attention after 6 months and in verbal memory after 18 months. In addition, volume increases in the parahippocampal region were observed in the dancers after 18 months. The results of our study suggest that participating in a long-term dance program that requires constant cognitive and motor learning is superior to engaging in repetitive physical exercises in inducing neuroplasticity in the brains of seniors. Therefore, dance is highly promising in its potential to counteract age-related gray matter decline.
从动物研究中可知，将体育活动与感官刺激相结合对大脑产生的影响比单独进行任何一种治疗都更强烈且持久。对于人类而言，有人提出舞蹈类似于这种联合训练。在此，我们评估了一种新设计的强调持续学习新动作模式的舞蹈训练项目在神经可塑性方面是否优于进行重复性练习的传统健身活动，以及延长训练时长是否有额外益处。22名年龄在63至80岁之间的健康老年人被随机分配到舞蹈组或运动组，他们完成了整个为期18个月的研究。在基线以及干预6个月和18个月后进行了磁共振成像（MRI）、脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）检测和神经心理学测试。6个月后，我们发现与对照组相比，舞蹈组左侧中央前回的灰质体积显著增加。这种神经可塑性效应可能是由舞蹈组中观察到的血浆BDNF水平升高所介导的。关于认知测量，两组在6个月后注意力均有显著改善，在18个月后言语记忆均有显著改善。此外，18个月后在舞蹈组中观察到海马旁区域的体积增加。我们的研究结果表明，参与一个需要持续认知和运动学习的长期舞蹈项目在诱导老年人大脑神经可塑性方面优于进行重复性体育锻炼。因此，舞蹈在抵消与年龄相关的灰质衰退方面具有巨大潜力。
