School of Psychology, Research Center for Exercise and Brain Science, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, 200082, China.
Geroscience. 2024 Apr;46(2):2641-2651. doi: 10.1007/s11357-023-01033-8. Epub 2023 Dec 18.
In the context of a globally aging population, exploring interventions that counteract age-related cognitive decline and cerebral structural alterations is paramount. Among various strategies, physical exercise (PE) emerges as a prevalent activity routinely incorporated in many individuals' lives. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to elucidate the impact of PE on white matter (WM) integrity and cognitive function in older adults. Data from 581 participants, 312 in the PE intervention group, and 269 in the control group were extracted from nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) retrieved from databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The results indicated a significant improvement in white matter (WM) integrity in individuals engaged in PE, as evidenced by enhanced fractional anisotropy (FA) scores (SMD = 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.05, 0.75], P = 0.024). The GRADE assessment revealed a moderate risk. However, no significant associations were found between PE and other metrics such as radial diffusivity (RD), mean diffusivity (MD), white matter volume (WMV), hippocampal volume (HV), and cognitive functions (executive function [EF], memory, processing speed). In conclusion, our study emphasizes the potential neurostructural and cognitive functional benefits of physical exercise for the brain health of older adults.
在全球人口老龄化的背景下，探索对抗与年龄相关的认知能力下降和大脑结构改变的干预措施至关重要。在各种策略中，体育锻炼（PE）作为一种常见的活动，被许多人纳入日常生活中。本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在阐明体育锻炼对老年人白质（WM）完整性和认知功能的影响。从包括 PubMed、Embase、Web of Science 和 Cochrane Library 在内的数据库中检索到的 9 项随机对照试验（RCT）中提取了 581 名参与者的数据，其中 312 名参与者接受了 PE 干预，269 名参与者接受了对照。结果表明，进行体育锻炼的个体的白质（WM）完整性得到显著改善，表现为各向异性分数（FA）评分升高（SMD=0.4，95%置信区间（CI）[0.05，0.75]，P=0.024）。GRADE 评估显示存在中度风险。然而，PE 与其他指标（如径向扩散系数（RD）、平均扩散系数（MD）、白质体积（WMV）、海马体积（HV）和认知功能（执行功能[EF]、记忆、处理速度）之间没有显著关联。总之，我们的研究强调了体育锻炼对老年人大脑健康的潜在神经结构和认知功能益处。
