A Combined Intervention of Aerobic Exercise and Video Game in Older Adults: The Efficacy and Neural Basis on Improving Mnemonic Discrimination

Xiaoyu Cui; Wenjun Gui; Jingwen Miao; Xiaomei Liu; Xinyi Zhu; Zhiwei Zheng; Wenyu Wan; Qi Shao; Jutta Kray; Yang Jiang; Juan Li

doi:10.1093/gerona/glac232

A Combined Intervention of Aerobic Exercise and Video Game in Older Adults: The Efficacy and Neural Basis on Improving Mnemonic Discrimination

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2023 Aug 2;78(8):1436-1444. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac232.

Authors

Xiaoyu Cui^{1

2}, Wenjun Gui^{1

2}, Jingwen Miao^{1

2}, Xiaomei Liu^{1

2}, Xinyi Zhu^{1

2}, Zhiwei Zheng^{1

2}, Wenyu Wan^{1

2}, Qi Shao^{1

2}, Jutta Kray³, Yang Jiang^{4

5}, Juan Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.
⁴ Department of Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky,USA.
⁵ Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky,USA.

PMID: 36462181
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glac232

Abstract

Background: Mnemonic discrimination is very vulnerable to aging. Previous studies have reported that aerobic exercise and enriched cognitive stimulation (e.g., video games) could improve mnemonic discrimination in older adults. The animal model suggested that combining the 2 training methods could result in a larger improvement. However, there is limited evidence on the potential superior efficacy of combined intervention with human participants. Moreover, the neural basis of this potential superior is poorly understood.

Methods: We conducted a 16-week intervention trial with 98 community-dwelling older adults assigned to one of the four groups (combined training, aerobic cycling alone, video game alone, or passive control). Mnemonic discrimination was measured as the primary behavioral outcome, hippocampal volume, and functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) were measured as neural indicators.

Results: Participants receiving the combined intervention demonstrated the largest effect size of mnemonic discrimination improvement. Magnetic resonance image results indicated aerobic exercising increased left hippocampal volume, while video-game training counteracted the decline of DMN functional connectivity with aging. The synergy of hippocampal structural and functional plasticity observed in the combined training group explained why the largest intervention benefits were obtained by this group.

Conclusion: Despite the nonrandomized design (i.e., likely self-selection bias), our results provide new evidence that combined intervention of exercise and cognitive training is more effective than single intervention for older adults. Parallel to animal studies, aerobic exercise and the video game with enriched cognitive stimulation could induce hippocampal plasticity through separate structural and functional pathways.

Clinical trials registration number: ChiCTR1900022702.

Keywords: Cycling; Default mode network; Hippocampus; MRI.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Exercise / physiology
Humans
Memory*
Neuropsychological Tests
Treatment Outcome
Video Games* / psychology

Associated data

ChiCTR/ChiCTR1900022702