Quigley Adria, MacKay-Lyons Marilyn, Eskes Gail
Department of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
J Aging Res. 2020 May 14;2020:1407896. doi: 10.1155/2020/1407896. eCollection 2020.
Physical activity and exercise have emerged as potential methods to improve brain health among older adults. However, there are currently no physical activity guidelines aimed at improving cognitive function, and the mechanisms underlying these cognitive benefits are poorly understood. The purpose of this narrative review is to present the current evidence regarding the effects of physical activity and exercise on cognition in older adults without cognitive impairment, identify potential mechanisms underlying these effects, and make recommendations for exercise prescription to enhance cognitive performance. The review begins with a summary of evidence of the effect of chronic physical activity and exercise on cognition. Attention then turns to four main biological mechanisms that appear to underlie exercise-induced cognitive improvement, including the upregulation of growth factors and neuroplasticity, inhibition of inflammatory biomarker production, improved vascular function, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation. The last section provides an overview of exercise parameters known to optimize cognition in older adults, such as exercise type, frequency, intensity, session duration, and exercise program duration.
体育活动和锻炼已成为改善老年人脑健康的潜在方法。然而，目前尚无旨在改善认知功能的体育活动指南，而且这些认知益处背后的机制也鲜为人知。本叙述性综述的目的是介绍关于体育活动和锻炼对无认知障碍老年人认知影响的现有证据，确定这些影响背后的潜在机制，并为增强认知表现的运动处方提出建议。综述首先总结了长期体育活动和锻炼对认知影响的证据。接着关注似乎是运动诱导认知改善基础的四个主要生物学机制，包括生长因子上调和神经可塑性、炎症生物标志物产生的抑制、血管功能改善以及下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺轴调节。最后一部分概述了已知可优化老年人认知的运动参数，如运动类型、频率、强度、单次锻炼时长和运动计划持续时间。
