Aerobic exercise promotes executive functions and impacts functional neural activity among older adults with vascular cognitive impairment.
BACKGROUND
Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) results from cerebrovascular disease, and worldwide, it is the second most common type of cognitive dysfunction. While targeted aerobic training is a promising approach to delay the progression of VCI by reducing cardiometabolic risk factors, few randomised controlled trials to date have specifically assessed the efficacy of aerobic training on cognitive and brain outcomes in this group at risk for functional decline.


AIM
To examine the effect of moderate-intensity aerobic training on executive functions and functional neural activity among older adults with mild subcortical ischaemic VCI (SIVCI).


METHODS
Older adults with mild SIVCI were randomly assigned to: (1) 6-month, 3×/week aerobic training (n=10) or (2) usual care (control; n=11). Participants completed functional MRI (fMRI) at baseline and trial completion. During the fMRI sessions, behavioural performance on the Eriksen flanker task and task-evoked neural activity were assessed.


RESULTS
At trial completion, after adjusting for baseline general cognition, total white matter lesion volume and flanker performance, compared with the control group, the aerobic training group significantly improved flanker task reaction time. Moreover, compared with the controls, the aerobic training group demonstrated reduced activation in the left lateral occipital cortex and right superior temporal gyrus. Reduced activity in these brain regions was significantly associated with improved (ie, faster) flanker task performance at trial completion.


SUMMARY
Aerobic training among older adults with mild SIVCI can improve executive functions and neural efficiency of associated brain areas. Future studies with greater sample size should be completed to replicate and extend these findings.
['Hsu|Chun Liang|CL|', 'Best|John R|JR|', 'Davis|Jennifer C|JC|', 'Nagamatsu|Lindsay S|LS|', 'Wang|Shirley|S|', 'Boyd|Lara A|LA|', 'Hsiung|Gy Robin|GR|', 'Voss|Michelle W|MW|', 'Eng|Janice Jennifer|JJ|', 'Liu-Ambrose|Teresa|T|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction D056344:Executive Function D015444:Exercise D005081:Exercise Therapy D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D059906:Neuroimaging D009483:Neuropsychological Tests D000075082:Proof of Concept Study D016896:Treatment Outcome D000070857:Walk Test
Exercise