Objectively measured physical activity is associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume in older adults

Joseph M Northey; Ben Rattray; Kate L Pumpa; Disa J Pryor; Mark A Fraser; Marnie E Shaw; Kaarin J Anstey; Nicolas Cherbuin

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117150

Objectively measured physical activity is associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume in older adults

Neuroimage. 2020 Nov 1:221:117150. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117150. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Authors

Joseph M Northey¹, Ben Rattray², Kate L Pumpa³, Disa J Pryor⁴, Mark A Fraser⁵, Marnie E Shaw⁶, Kaarin J Anstey⁷, Nicolas Cherbuin⁵

Affiliations

¹ UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia; Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia; Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, ACT, 2601, Australia. Electronic address: joe.northey@canberra.edu.au.
² UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia; Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia; Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, ACT, 2601, Australia.
³ UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia; Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia.
⁴ Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Australia.
⁵ Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, ACT, 2601, Australia.
⁶ College of Engineering and Computer Science, The Australian National University, ACT, 2601, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, ACT, 2601, Australia; School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2031, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, NSW, 2013, Australia.

PMID: 32668298
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117150

Abstract

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest physical activity (PA) can slow or prevent both cognitive decline and age-related atrophy in frontal and hippocampal gray matter volumes. However, much of this evidence is based on self-reported measures of PA.

Methods: PA was measured objectively with a SenseWear™ Armband to examine the cross-sectional associations between the duration of light, moderate and vigorous intensity PA with gray matter volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and hippocampus in 167 (female: 43%) cognitively healthy older adults aged 73 to 78.

Results: The duration of objective moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was associated with a greater volume of the right DLPFC (β = 0.16; p = 0.04). In addition, objective moderate-intensity PA alone was also associated with greater volume of the left (β = 0.17; p = 0.03) and right (β = 0.19; p = 0.01) DLPFC after controlling for covariates and adjustment for multiple comparisons. In contrast, there were no significant associations between light- or vigorous-intensity PA and gray matter volumes (all p > 0.05). No associations between PA and cognitive performance were detected, and self-reported PA was not associated with any of the outcomes investigated.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that an intensity-dependent relationship may exist, whereby a greater duration of MVPA, perhaps driven by moderate-intensity PA, is associated with preserved gray matter volume in frontal regions of the brain. Future research should investigate the mechanisms of this dose-effect and determine whether greater brain volumes associated with objective PA convey protective effects against cognitive decline.

Keywords: Cognition; Gray matter; SenseWear armband; hippocampus.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Actigraphy
Aged
Aging / physiology*
Cohort Studies
Executive Function / physiology*
Exercise / physiology*
Female
Gray Matter / anatomy & histology*
Hippocampus / anatomy & histology*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Prefrontal Cortex / anatomy & histology*
Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
Wearable Electronic Devices