Department of Physical Therapy, Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Vancouver, Canada.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;60(4):1397-1410. doi: 10.3233/JAD-170221.
Aerobic training (AT) is a promising, non-pharmacological intervention to mitigate the deleterious effects of aging and disease on brain health. However, a large amount of variation exists in its efficacy. This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of AT in 71 older adults with subcortical ischemic vascular cognitive impairment (NCT01027858). Specifically, we investigated: 1) whether sex moderates the relationship between AT and executive functions, and 2) the role of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and gains in functional fitness capacity. Older adults were randomly assigned to either 6-month, thrice-weekly AT or to usual care plus education (CON). At baseline, trial completion, and 6-month follow-up, executive functions were assessed with the Trail Making Test (A & B), verbal digits forward and backward test, and the Stroop Test. Functional fitness capacity was assessed with the 6-Minute Walk Test. Compared with CON, AT significantly improved Trail Making Test performance in females but not males, an effect that was retained at follow-up. AT significantly increased BDNF levels in females but decreased levels in males. On the other hand, AT led to significant gains in functional fitness capacity in males only. This study provides evidence that sex differences exist in AT efficacy on brain health as well as in the biological mechanisms subserving AT.
有氧运动训练（AT）是一种有前途的非药物干预措施，可以减轻衰老和疾病对大脑健康的有害影响。然而，其疗效存在很大差异。这是一项对 71 名有皮质下缺血性血管性认知障碍的老年人进行 AT 随机对照试验（NCT01027858）的二次分析。具体来说，我们调查了：1）性别是否调节 AT 与执行功能之间的关系，以及 2）脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）和功能性健身能力提高的作用。老年人被随机分配到 6 个月、每周 3 次的 AT 组或常规护理加教育（CON）组。在基线、试验完成和 6 个月随访时，使用连线测试（A 和 B）、言语数字顺背和倒背测试以及 Stroop 测试评估执行功能。功能性健身能力使用 6 分钟步行测试评估。与 CON 相比，AT 显著改善了女性而非男性的连线测试表现，这种效果在随访时仍然存在。AT 显著增加了女性的 BDNF 水平，但降低了男性的 BDNF 水平。另一方面，AT 仅导致男性功能性健身能力的显著提高。这项研究提供了证据，表明 AT 在大脑健康方面的疗效以及 AT 所依赖的生物学机制存在性别差异。
