Sanborn Victoria, Gunstad John
Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA.
Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA.
Geriatrics (Basel). 2020 Sep 25;5(4):63. doi: 10.3390/geriatrics5040063.
The population of older adults is growing dramatically worldwide. As older adults are at greater risk of developing disorders associated with cognitive dysfunction (i.e., dementia), healthcare costs are expected to double by 2040. Evidence suggests dementia may be slowed or prevented by lifestyle interventions, including physical activity (PA). PA is associated with improved cognitive function and may reduce risk for dementia by mitigating known risk factors (i.e., cardiovascular diseases) and/or by enhancing neurochemical processes. An emerging area of research suggests the gut microbiome may have similar neuroprotective effects. Altering the gut microbiome has been found to target physiological processes associated with dementia risk, and it influences gut-brain-microbiome axis signaling, impacting cognitive functioning. The gut microbiome can be altered by several means (i.e., disease, diet, prebiotics, probiotics), including PA. As PA and the gut microbiome independently influence cognitive function and PA changes the composition of the gut microbiome, cognitive improvement due to PA may be partially mediated by the gut microbiome. The present article provides an overview of the literature regarding the complex associations among PA, cognitive function, and the gut microbiome, as well as their underlying biological mechanisms. A comprehensive, theoretical model integrating evidence for the potential mediation is proposed.
全球老年人人口正在急剧增长。由于老年人患与认知功能障碍（即痴呆症）相关疾病的风险更高，预计到2040年医疗保健成本将翻倍。有证据表明，包括体育活动（PA）在内的生活方式干预可能会减缓或预防痴呆症。体育活动与认知功能改善相关，可能通过减轻已知风险因素（即心血管疾病）和/或通过增强神经化学过程来降低患痴呆症的风险。一个新兴的研究领域表明，肠道微生物群可能具有类似的神经保护作用。已发现改变肠道微生物群可针对与痴呆症风险相关的生理过程，并影响肠-脑-微生物群轴信号传导，从而影响认知功能。肠道微生物群可通过多种方式（即疾病、饮食、益生元、益生菌）改变，包括体育活动。由于体育活动和肠道微生物群独立影响认知功能，且体育活动会改变肠道微生物群的组成，因此体育活动导致的认知改善可能部分由肠道微生物群介导。本文概述了有关体育活动、认知功能和肠道微生物群之间复杂关联及其潜在生物学机制的文献。提出了一个综合的理论模型，整合了潜在中介作用的证据。
