Research center and EPIC Center, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
BMC Geriatr. 2022 Aug 8;22(1):648. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03306-x.
Aging is associated with an increased likelihood of developing dementia, but a growing body of evidence suggests that certain modifiable risk factors may help prevent or delay dementia onset. Among these, physical activity (PA) has been linked to better cognitive performance and brain functions in healthy older adults and may contribute to preventing dementia. The current pilot study investigated changes in behavioral and brain activation patterns over a 1-year period in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls taking part in regular PA.
Frontal cortical response during a dual-task walking paradigm was investigated at baseline, at 6 months (T6), and at 12 months (T12) by means of a portable functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. The dual-task paradigm included a single cognitive task (2-back), a single motor task (walking), and a dual-task condition (2-back whilst walking).
Both groups showed progressive improvement in cognitive performance at follow-up visits compared to baseline. Gait speed remained stable throughout the duration of the study in the control group and increased at T6 for those with MCI. A significant decrease in cortical activity was observed in both groups during the cognitive component of the dual-task at follow-up visits compared to baseline, with MCI individuals showing the greatest improvement.
The observations of this pilot study suggest that taking part in regular PA may be especially beneficial for both cognitive performance and brain functions in older adulthood and, especially, in individuals with MCI. Our findings may serve as preliminary evidence for the use of PA as a potential intervention to prevent cognitive decline in individuals at greater risk of dementia.
衰老与痴呆发生的可能性增加有关，但越来越多的证据表明，某些可改变的风险因素可能有助于预防或延迟痴呆的发生。在这些因素中，体力活动（PA）已被证明与健康老年人更好的认知表现和大脑功能有关，并且可能有助于预防痴呆。目前的初步研究调查了在参加定期 PA 的轻度认知障碍（MCI）个体和健康对照者中，在 1 年内行为和大脑激活模式的变化。
通过便携式近红外光谱（fNIRS）系统，在基线、6 个月（T6）和 12 个月（T12）时，研究了双任务行走范式期间额皮质的反应。双任务范式包括单个认知任务（2 回）、单个运动任务（行走）和双任务条件（行走时进行 2 回）。
与基线相比，两组在随访时的认知表现均有逐渐改善。在对照组中，步态速度在整个研究期间保持稳定，而 MCI 患者在 T6 时有所增加。与基线相比，在随访时，两组在双任务的认知成分中观察到皮质活动明显下降，而 MCI 患者的改善最大。
这项初步研究的观察结果表明，定期参加 PA 可能对老年人的认知表现和大脑功能都特别有益，尤其是对 MCI 个体。我们的发现可能为将 PA 用作预防痴呆高危人群认知能力下降的潜在干预措施提供初步证据。
