Acute response of prefrontal cortex in institutionalized older adults undergoing a single exergames session

Mariana Rocha Alves; Knut Engedal; Jerson Laks; Vinícius Dias Rodrigues; Lara S F Carneiro; Ana Carolina de Mello Alves Rodrigues; Alfredo Maurício B de Paula; Renato Sobral Monteiro-Junior

doi:10.1016/j.ibneur.2021.04.001

Acute response of prefrontal cortex in institutionalized older adults undergoing a single exergames session

IBRO Neurosci Rep. 2021 May 27:11:8-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2021.04.001. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Authors

Mariana Rocha Alves¹, Knut Engedal², Jerson Laks³, Vinícius Dias Rodrigues⁴, Lara S F Carneiro^{5

6

7}, Ana Carolina de Mello Alves Rodrigues⁸, Alfredo Maurício B de Paula⁹, Renato Sobral Monteiro-Junior^{1

9}

Affiliations

¹ Post-Graduate Program of Medicine (Neurology/Neuroscience), Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
² Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway.
³ Psychiatry Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Physical Education, State University of Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
⁵ Higher Institute of Educational Sciences (ISCE, Douro), Penafiel, Portugal.
⁶ University Institute of Maia (ISMAI), Maia, Portugal.
⁷ Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, GERON Research Community, Portugal.
⁸ Physiotherapy Department, Faculdades Santo Agostinho, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
⁹ Post-graduate Program of Health Sciences, State University of Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Abstract

Virtual reality-based exercise (exergames) improves cognition of the elderly but the neurophysiological effects are poorly understood. The hypothesis herein established is that an ultrafast neurophysiological adaptation occurs in prefrontal cortex of elderly after completion of a single exergames session. To reinforce the aforementioned hypothesis, individuals living in a Long-Term Care Home (LTCH) participated in the study and were randomly allocated into two groups (Virtual Reality Group, VRG, n = 5; and Active Control Group, ACG n = 5). VRG performed six exercises with exergames and ACG performed exercises with the same VRG movements but with no virtual reality. Assessment of frontal cortical activity at rest and during cognitive testing via electroencephalographic activity (EEG) was performed before and immediately after the intervention. Significant decrease in relative power of EEG (RP_EEG) Beta brainwave (-29 ± 18%) in the left prefrontal cortex of VRG compared to ACG (4 ± 9%) (p = 0.007). A slight improvement on semantic fluency in VRG (ES=0.21) was noted. An ultrafast prefrontal cortical adaptation may occur as an effect of a single exergames session, causing a small improvement on cognition of institutionalized elderly.

Keywords: Cognition; EEG; Older adults; Physical activity; Virtual reality.