You are here
Physical activity predicts gray matter volume in late adulthood: the Cardiovascular Health Study.
Tuesday,2012-11-06 12:25 America/Los_Angeles — eenright
| Title | Physical activity predicts gray matter volume in late adulthood: the Cardiovascular Health Study. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2010 |
| Authors | Erickson, KI, Raji, CA, Lopez, OL, Becker, JT, Rosano, C, Newman, AB, Gach, HM, Thompson, PM, Ho, AJ, Kuller, LH |
| Journal | Neurology |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 16 |
| Pagination | 1415-22 |
| Date Published | 2010 Oct 19 |
| ISSN | 1526-632X |
| Keywords | Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Mental Status Schedule, Motor Activity, Neuropsychological Tests, Odds Ratio, Predictive Value of Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires |
| Abstract | <p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>Physical activity (PA) has been hypothesized to spare gray matter volume in late adulthood, but longitudinal data testing an association has been lacking. Here we tested whether PA would be associated with greater gray matter volume after a 9-year follow-up, a threshold could be identified for the amount of walking necessary to spare gray matter volume, and greater gray matter volume associated with PA would be associated with a reduced risk for cognitive impairment 13 years after the PA evaluation.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>In 299 adults (mean age 78 years) from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study, we examined the association between gray matter volume, PA, and cognitive impairment. Physical activity was quantified as the number of blocks walked over 1 week. High-resolution brain scans were acquired 9 years after the PA assessment on cognitively normal adults. White matter hyperintensities, ventricular grade, and other health variables at baseline were used as covariates. Clinical adjudication for cognitive impairment occurred 13 years after baseline.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Walking amounts ranged from 0 to 300 blocks (mean 56.3; SD 69.7). Greater PA predicted greater volumes of frontal, occipital, entorhinal, and hippocampal regions 9 years later. Walking 72 blocks was necessary to detect increased gray matter volume but walking more than 72 blocks did not spare additional volume. Greater gray matter volume with PA reduced the risk for cognitive impairment 2-fold.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>Greater amounts of walking are associated with greater gray matter volume, which is in turn associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment.</p> |
| DOI | 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181f88359 |
| Alternate Journal | Neurology |
| PubMed ID | 20944075 |
| PubMed Central ID | PMC3039208 |
| Grant List | P30 AG024827 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R01 AG-15928 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85085 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States U01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85081 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States P50 AG005133-28 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R01 HL-075366 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States P30-AG-024827 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R01 AG020098-08 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85086 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States AG-027058 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85082 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-35129 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC-55222 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85083 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-75150 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85080 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States P50 AG005133 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01 HC-15103 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 AG-20098 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R01 AG020098 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-45133 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85079 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States AG-023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85084 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States |