Steps to Health in Cognitive Aging: Effects of Physical Activity on Spatial Attention and Executive Control in the Elderly

Peculiarities of students' mental functions development under the influence of different physical activities

OBJECTIVE

Aim: The aim is to study the influence of the training activities of different orientations on the attention development of student specializing in different sports.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: The study involved 127 students, who were divided into three groups: group A (n=68) was engaged in speed and power sports, group B (n=59) was engaged in endurance sports, the control group (n=83) included peer students who did not do sports during their studies. The research on students' attention was carried out according to Anfimov's test using a table with letters.

RESULTS

Results: It was revealed that speed and power activities increase the integrated indicator of attention (the coefficient of work performance) based only on the speed of viewing characters with unreliable changes in the correctness of the work indicators. Under the influence of endurance training, the coefficient of efficiency is increased based on both an increase in the speed of viewing characters and the correctness of the work indicators. The students of the control group were found to have insignificant changes in the studied indicators of attention.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: This suggests that endurance training promotes the development of students' attention more ef f ectively. It is set, that specifics of the training process, its orientation equally specifically specialize the peculiarities of the attention development of students.

Acute aerobic exercise benefits allocation of neural resources related to selective attention

A single session of aerobic exercise has been shown to potentially benefit subsequent performance in a wide range of cognitive tasks, but the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of exercise on selective attention, a cognitive process that involves prioritized processing of a subset of available inputs over others. Twenty-four healthy participants (12 women) underwent two experimental interventions in a random, crossover, and counterbalanced design: a vigorous-intensity exercise (60-65% HRR) and a seated rest (control) condition. Before and after each protocol, participants performed a modified selective attention task that demanded attending stimuli of different spatial frequencies. Event-related magnetic fields were concurrently recorded using magnetoencephalography. The results showed that exercise, relative to the seated rest condition, reduced neural processing of unattended stimuli and increased processing of attended stimuli. The findings suggest that changes in neural processing related to selective attention may be one of the mechanisms underlying exercise-induced improvements in cognition.

The GRANDPACT Project: The Development and Evaluation of an Intergenerational Program for Grandchildren and Their Grandparents to Stimulate Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Using Co-Creation

In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to intergenerational physical activity (PA) programs because they may have several benefits for both children and older adults (e.g., the reduction of ageism). An intergenerational PA program focusing on grandchildren and grandparents in a 'standard' family setting that combines PA and cognitive function is innovative and may hold potential for promoting PA and improving cognitive functioning in both grandchildren and grandparents. The aim of this study is to describe the protocol of the GRANDPACT (GRANDparents and GRANDchildren improve their Physical Activity and Cognitive functions using co-creaTion) Project, focusing on the development of an intergenerational, cognitively enriched, movement program for grandchildren and grandparents using the theoretical framework of the "Behaviour Change Wheel" in combination with a co-creation approach. Two co-creation trajectories will be organized to develop the program, followed by a pilot study to refine the program and an RCT with a pre-test (at baseline), a post-test (after 24 weeks), and a follow-up (after 36 weeks) to measure the outcomes of co-PA, cognitive functions, psychosocial well-being, and the quality of the family relationship ingrandchildren and grandparents. The outcomes will be measured using accelerometry for PA, the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) for cognitive functions, and questionnaires for the psychological well-being and quality of the family relationship. Co-development with end-users and stakeholders during both co-creation trajectories is expected to result in an effective, attractive, and feasible program. Co-PA is expected to improve PA, cognitive functioning, psychosocial well-being, and the quality of the family relationships between grandchildren and grandparents.

Lifestyle Matters: Effects of Habitual Physical Activity on Driving Skills in Older Age

Research on multitasking driving has suggested age-related deterioration in driving performance. It has been shown that physical and cognitive functioning, which are related to driving performance and decline with aging, are positively associated with physical activity behavior. This study aimed to explore whether driving performance decline becomes severe with advancing age and whether physical activity behavior modifies age-related deterioration in driving performance. A total of one hundred forty-one healthy adults were categorized into three groups based on their age; old-old (74.21 ± 2.33 years), young-old (66.53 ± 1.50 years), and young adults (23.25 ± 2.82 years). Participants completed a realistic multitasking driving task. Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness levels were evaluated. Older groups drove more slowly and laterally than young adults, and old-old adults drove slower than young-old ones across the whole driving course. Physical activity level did not interact with the aging effect on driving performance, whereas cardiovascular fitness interacted. Higher-fitness young-old and young adults drove faster than higher-fitness old-old adults. Higher-fitness old adults drove more laterally than higher-fitness young adults. The present study demonstrated a gradual decline in driving performance in old adults, and cardiorespiratory fitness interacted with the aging effect on driving performance. Future research on the interaction of aging and physical activity behavior on driving performance in different age groups is of great value and may help deepen our knowledge.

Effects of Physical Activity Level on Attentional Networks in Young Adults

Although physical activity is associated with better attentional functioning in elderly populations or in specific clinical populations, the association between physical activity level and attention has been less studied in young adult populations. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether the positive effects of physical activity on attentional networks extend to young adults. In total, 57 college students were recruited and assigned to one of three groups of physical activity levels (high, moderate, and low) based on their self-reported exercise. Each participant completed the Attention Network Test to evaluate the efficiency of three components of attention: alerting, orienting, and executive control. Compared with the low physical activity group, both the high and moderate physical activity groups exhibited better executive control. In addition, the efficiency of the executive control network was positively correlated with physical activity. By contrast, no statistically significant differences were detected among these three groups for the functioning of the alerting or orienting networks. These findings suggested that physical activity had a positive effect on attention in young adults, with the benefit primarily observed for the executive control component rather than for the alerting and orienting components of attention.

Functional relevance of resistance training-induced neuroplasticity in health and disease

Repetitive, monotonic, and effortful voluntary muscle contractions performed for just a few weeks, i.e., resistance training, can substantially increase maximal voluntary force in the practiced task and can also increase gross motor performance. The increase in motor performance is often accompanied by neuroplastic adaptations in the central nervous system. While historical data assigned functional relevance to such adaptations induced by resistance training, this claim has not yet been systematically and critically examined in the context of motor performance across the lifespan in health and disease. A review of muscle activation, brain and peripheral nerve stimulation, and imaging data revealed that increases in motor performance and neuroplasticity tend to be uncoupled, making a mechanistic link between neuroplasticity and motor performance inconclusive. We recommend new approaches, including causal mediation analytical and hypothesis-driven models to substantiate the functional relevance of resistance training-induced neuroplasticity in the improvements of gross motor function across the lifespan in health and disease.

Effect of Physical Exercise on the Release of Microparticles with Angiogenic Potential

Cellular communication has a fundamental role in both human physiological and pathological states and various mechanisms are involved in the crosstalk between organs. Among these, microparticles (MPs) have an important involvement. MPs are a subtype of extracellular vesicles produced by a variety of cells following activation or apoptosis. They are normally present in physiological conditions, but their concentration varies in pathological states such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, or cancer. Acute and chronic physical exercise are able to modify MPs amounts as well. Among various actions, exercise-responsive MPs affect angiogenesis, the process through which new blood vessels grow from pre-existing vessels. Usually, the neo vascular growth has functional role; but an aberrant neovascularization accompanies several oncogenic, ischemic, or inflammatory diseases. In addition, angiogenesis is one of the key adaptations to physical exercise and training. In the present review, we report evidence regarding the effect of various typologies of exercise on circulating MPs that are able to affect angiogenesis.

The environment as a determinant of successful aging or frailty

The number of elderly persons is rising rapidly, and healthspan is a key factor in determining the well-being of individuals and the sustainability of national health systems. Environmental health is crucial for a "successful aging". Complex relationships between environmental factors and non-communicable diseases play a major role, causing or accelerating disabilities. Besides genetic factors, aging results from the concurrence of several environmental factors starting from early (i.e. in utero) life, able to increase susceptibility to diseases in adulthood, and to promote frailty in the elderly. In aged people, an unhealthy environment contributes to a fast and early decline and increases vulnerability. Exposure to pollutants facilitates the onset and progression of cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and neurologic diseases through direct effects and epigenetic mechanisms negatively affecting biological age. Healthy diet, healthy environment and constant physical activity could counteract, at least in part, the negative effects of environmental stressors. Almost all environmental factors generating detrimental effects on aging are modifiable, with relevant implications in terms of primary prevention measures potentially leading to decreased frailty, to an increase in the number of years lived without diseases or disability, and to a significant reduction in health expenditure.

The Effect of Traditional Chinese Mind-Body Exercise (Baduanjin) and Brisk Walking on the Dorsal Attention Network in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

A growing number of studies have shown that mind-body exercise is beneficial to cognitive function, especially memory, in elderly MCI patients. However, few studies have explored the effect of mind-body exercise on the attention of MCI population. We recruited 69 participants and divided them equally into Baduanjin, brisk walking (BWK) exercise or usual physical activity (UAP) control groups. The two exercise groups performed 60 min of exercise three times per week for 24 weeks. All subjects underwent whole-brain functional MRI and assessment of attentional abilities, including selective, divided, and sustained attention, and processing speed at baseline and after 24 weeks. The results show that: Baduanjin exercise significantly increased the selective attention of MCI patients, and Dorsal attention network (DAN) of Baduanjin exercise group exhibited functional connectivity decreased in right rolandic operculum (ROL. R), right middle temporal gyrus (MTG. R), right supramarginal inferior parietal, angular gyri (IPL. R), right precuneus (PCUN. R), and right fusiform gyrus (FFG. R) regions compared with the other two groups. The BWK exercise group had obviously functional connectivity increased in IPL. R and decreased in the MTG. R region compared to that in the UAP group. But no significant association between the changes of functional connectivity of DAN and the change of attentional ability test was observed. Thus, our data indicated Baduanjin exercise may be a potential beneficial intervention to improve the attention of the elderly with MCI. Further study with more samples is necessary to elucidate its imaging mechanism.

Caffeine intake modulates the functioning of the attentional networks depending on consumption habits and acute exercise demands

Consume of stimulants (as caffeine) is very usual in different contexts where the performers have to take quick and accurate decisions during physical effort. Decision-making processes are mediated by the attentional networks. An experiment was carried out to examine the effect of caffeine intake on attention (alerting, orienting, and executive control) as a function of consumption habit under two physical exertion conditions (rest vs. aerobic exercise). Two groups of participants with different caffeine consumption profiles (moderate consumers vs. low consumers) performed the Attention Network Test-Interactions under four different conditions regarding activity (rest vs. exercise) and intake (caffeine vs. placebo). Results showed that whereas exercise led to faster reaction times (RT) in all cases, caffeine intake accelerated RT but only at rest and in moderate caffeine consumers. More importantly, caffeine intake reduced the alertness effect in moderate consumers only at the rest condition. No interactions between Intake and Activity were observed in the other attentional networks, with exercise reducing orienting independently of caffeine intake, which suggests that physical exercise and caffeine are different modulators of attention but can interact. Caffeine intake had differential effects on reaction speed at rest and during physical exercise depending on the individual consumption habit. On the basis of these finding it seems that mainly alertness is modulated differently by internal and external "arousing" conditions.

WATER-BASED EXERCISE AND RESISTANCE TRAINING IMPROVE COGNITION IN OLDER ADULTS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Physical exercise has been associated with maintenance of physical abilities and the reduction of age-related cognitive decline, and is considered both a low-cost primary prevention strategy and a non-pharmacological treatment of cognitive dysfunction in older people. However, the contribution of each type of physical exercise to the cognitive health of the elderly population has not yet been fully investigated. Objective: This study investigated the possible influences of water-based and resistance training exercises on the cognitive performance of healthy older adults in automated tests, and investigated which test(s) would be the most effective indicator of differences in aging cognitive performance. Methods: Three groups of community-dwelling healthy older adults: water-based exercise group, resistance training group and sedentary group, were assessed using an automated set of neuropsychological tests (CANTAB) and tests to assess functional exercise capacity. Results were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson linear correlation. Results: The water-based exercise group had the best functional exercise capacity scores and the best performance in the reaction time evaluation (response and movement latencies). The resistance training group had less movement latency than the sedentary group. Functional mobility was positively correlated with response and movement latency. Conclusions: Taken together our findings show that physical exercise contributes to the preservation of cognitive function in healthy older adults and that water-based exercise has better results than resistance training in terms of reaction time. Moreover, the changes related to reaction time function were detected before the changes in working memory functions, sustained attention and learning in the sedentary participants, suggesting that this variable could be an early sensitive indicator of subtle cognitive changes associated with aging. Level of Evidence II; Retrospective study.

"Walking" through the sensory, cognitive, and temporal degradations of healthy aging

As we age, there is a wide range of changes in motor, sensory, cognitive, and temporal processing due to alterations in the functioning of the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Specifically, aging is associated with degradations in gait; altered processing of the individual sensory systems; modifications in executive control, memory, and attention; and changes in temporal processing. These age-related alterations are often inter-related and have been suggested to result from shared neural substrates. Additionally, the overlap between these brain areas and those controlling walking raises the possibility of facilitating performance in several tasks by introducing protocols that can efficiently target all four domains. Attempts to counteract these negative effects of normal aging have been focusing on research to prevent falls and/or enhance cognitive processes, while ignoring the potential multisensory benefits accompanying old age. Research shows that the aging brain tends to increasingly rely on multisensory integration to compensate for degradations in individual sensory systems and for altered neural functioning. This review covers the age-related changes in the above-mentioned domains and the potential to exploit the benefits associated with multisensory integration in aging so as to improve one's mobility and enhance sensory, cognitive, and temporal processing.