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Kelly NF, Mansfield CJ, Schneider E, Moeller JC, Bleacher JS, Prakash RS, Briggs MS. Functional connectivity patterns are altered by low back pain and cause different responses to sham and real dry needling therapies: a systematic review of fMRI studies. Physiother Theory Pract 2024; 40:671-688. [PMID: 36484262 DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2022.2155094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a relationship between low back pain (LBP) and central nervous system dysfunction. Needling therapies (e.g. acupuncture, dry needling) are proposed to impact the nervous system, however their specific influence is unclear. PURPOSE Determine how needling therapies alter functional connectivity and LBP as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS Databases were searched following PRISMA guidelines. Studies using fMRI on individuals with LBP receiving dry needling or acupuncture compared to control or sham treatments were included. RESULTS Eight studies were included, all of which used acupuncture. The quality of studies ranged from good (n = 6) to excellent (n = 2). After acupuncture, individuals with LBP demonstrated significant functional connectivity changes across several networks, notably the salience, somatomotor, default mode network (DMN) and limbic networks. A meta-analysis demonstrated evidence of no effect to potential small effect of acupuncture in reducing LBP (SMD -0.28; 95% CI: -0.70, 0.13). CONCLUSION Needling therapies, like acupuncture, may have a central effect on patients beyond the local tissue effects, reducing patients' pain and disability due to alterations in neural processing, including the DMN, and potentially other central nervous system effects. The meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution due to the narrow focus and confined sample used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina F Kelly
- Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Crile Building Sports Medicine Rehabilitation, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship, Sports Medicine Rehab, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Gahanna Sports Medicine Rehabilitation, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Cody J Mansfield
- Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship, Sports Medicine Rehab, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Gahanna Sports Medicine Rehabilitation, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Sports Medicine Research Institute, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Eric Schneider
- School of Health Sciences, Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Josh C Moeller
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Psychology, Ohio State University 1825 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jerald S Bleacher
- Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship, Sports Medicine Rehab, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Gahanna Sports Medicine Rehabilitation, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ruchika S Prakash
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Matthew S Briggs
- Sports Medicine Research Institute, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Orthopedics, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
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Christian LM, Wilson SJ, Madison AA, Prakash RS, Burd CE, Rosko AE, Kiecolt-Glaser JK. Understanding the health effects of caregiving stress: New directions in molecular aging. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 92:102096. [PMID: 37898293 PMCID: PMC10824392 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Dementia caregiving has been linked to multiple health risks, including infectious illness, depression, anxiety, immune dysregulation, weakened vaccine responses, slow wound healing, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, frailty, cognitive decline, and reduced structural and functional integrity of the brain. The sustained overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines is a key pathway behind many of these risks. However, contrasting findings suggest that some forms of caregiving may have beneficial effects, such as maintaining caregivers' health and providing a sense of meaning and purpose which, in turn, may contribute to lower rates of functional decline and mortality. The current review synthesizes these disparate literatures, identifies methodological sources of discrepancy, and integrates caregiver research with work on aging biomarkers to propose a research agenda that traces the mechanistic pathways of caregivers' health trajectories with a focus on the unique stressors facing spousal caregivers as compared to other informal caregivers. Combined with a focus on psychosocial moderators and mechanisms, studies using state-of-the-art molecular aging biomarkers such as telomere length, p16INK4a, and epigenetic age could help to reconcile mixed literature on caregiving's sequelae by determining whether and under what conditions caregiving-related experiences contribute to faster aging, in part through inflammatory biology. The biomarkers predict morbidity and mortality, and each contributes non-redundant information about age-related molecular changes -together painting a more complete picture of biological aging. Indeed, assessing changes in these biopsychosocial mechanisms over time would help to clarify the dynamic relationships between caregiving experiences, psychological states, immune function, and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Christian
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; The Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Stephanie J Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, University Park, TX, USA
| | - Annelise A Madison
- The Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ruchika S Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Christin E Burd
- Departments of Molecular Genetics, Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ashley E Rosko
- Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; The Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
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Fisher ME, Teng J, Gbadeyan O, Prakash RS. Using connectome-based models of working memory to predict emotion regulation in older adults. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad036. [PMID: 37421161 PMCID: PMC10367441 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Older adulthood is characterized by enhanced emotional well-being potentially resulting from greater reliance on adaptive emotion regulation strategies. However, not all older adults demonstrate an increase in emotional well-being and instead rely on maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. An important moderator of age-related shifts in strategy preferences is working memory (WM) and its underlying neural circuitry. As such, individual differences in the neural integrity underlying WM may predict older adults' emotion regulation strategy preferences. Our study used whole-brain WM networks-derived from young adults using connectome-based predictive modeling-to predict WM performance and acceptance strategy use in healthy older adults. Older adults (N = 110) completed baseline assessments as part of a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of mind-body interventions on healthy aging. Our results revealed that the WM networks predicted WM accuracy but not acceptance use or difficulties in emotion regulation in older adults. Individual differences in WM performance, but not WM networks, moderated relationships between image intensity and acceptance use. These findings highlight that robust neural markers of WM generalize to an independent sample of healthy older adults but may not generalize beyond cognitive domains to predict emotion-based behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Fisher
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - James Teng
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Oyetunde Gbadeyan
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Peninsula Clinical School and Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Ruchika S Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Fisher ME, Duraney E, Friess K, Whitmoyer P, Andridge R, Prakash RS. Trait mindfulness and emotion regulation responsiveness to negative affect in daily life. Mindfulness (N Y) 2022; 13:2796-2811. [PMID: 38500843 PMCID: PMC10948115 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-022-01996-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Recent conceptualizations of adaptive emotion regulation is predicated on the ability to flexibly use emotion regulation strategies to meet changing contextual demands. Although trait mindfulness has been linked to enhanced emotional well-being and use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies, there is a dearth of literature examining associations between trait mindfulness and emotion regulation flexibility. Further, despite a rich literature suggesting that emotion regulation processes change with age, no study to date has assessed whether the role of trait mindfulness on emotion regulation responsiveness to negative emotions-a component of emotion regulation flexibility-differs between young and older adults. Methods The current study recruited 130 young adults and 130 older adults to assess trait mindfulness, emotion regulation strategy use, and emotion regulation responsiveness of six distinct strategies in daily life. Results Across the full sample, trait mindfulness was related to reduced distraction (β = -0.11, t(238.09) = -3.02, p = .003) and expressive suppression (β = -0.15, t(237.70) = -4.62, p < .001) strategy use. Age moderation analyses revealed that trait mindfulness was associated with reduced expressive suppression responsiveness (β = 0.12, t(247) = 2.31, p = .022) in young adults and increased detached reappraisal responsiveness among older adults (β = 0.15, t(247) = -2.95, p = .003). Conclusions The current findings highlight the importance of understanding how trait mindfulness is associated with strategy use and responsiveness to negative affect changes in daily life as well as how these patterns may shift across the lifespan. Manuscript Pre-registration Open Science Framework, registration number: z5g8v.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Ruchika S. Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University
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5
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Prakash RS, Manglani HR, Duraney EJ, Shankar A, Fisher ME, Janssen A, Cea L, Petosa R, Andridge R, Nicholas J. TRACking health behaviors in people with Multiple Sclerosis (TRAC-MS): Study protocol and description of the study sample. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2022; 30:101006. [PMID: 36203849 PMCID: PMC9529668 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2022.101006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience a range of physical, cognitive, and affective symptoms. Behavioral interventions targeting increased physical activity show promising support as low-cost methods to improve working memory, episodic memory, and processing speed in PwMS. In this randomized controlled trial, we will examine the efficacy of a pedometer-tracking intervention, designed to increase low-to-moderate levels of physical activity, for improving working memory in PwMS. Methods and Analysis Eighty-seven PwMS, between the ages of 30-59, have been recruited for the study. Seventy-five of the eligible and interested individuals were randomized to six-month health behavior monitoring groups: a Step-track group or a Water-track group (serving as the active control). Neuropsychological measures, assessing the primary outcome of the study, were administered at pre, midpoint, and post-intervention. Exploratory factor analysis of neuropsychological measures resulted in three factors: a working memory/processing speed factor, a visual episodic memory factor, and a verbal episodic memory factor. Changes in this latent measure of working memory/processing speed is the primary outcome of the current study. Functional MRI data will be analyzed to examine changes in the functional connectivity of the neural network supporting working memory. Ethics and dissemination The institutional review board granted approval for the study and all participants provided written informed consent. The results of this study will provide support showing that step-tracking increases overall levels of physical activity, improves working memory and processing speed, and strengthens the neural circuitry that supports better cognition. Evidence from this study will thus offer promising support for the routine use of step-tracking devices to improve cognitive functioning in PwMS. Study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchika S. Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA,Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA,Corresponding author. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, 139 Psychology Building 1835 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Heena R. Manglani
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Anita Shankar
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Megan E. Fisher
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Alisha Janssen
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Lauren Cea
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rick Petosa
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rebecca Andridge
- Department of Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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6
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Schmalbrock P, Prakash RS, Schirda B, Janssen A, Yang GK, Russell M, Knopp MV, Boster A, Nicholas JA, Racke M, Pitt D. Basal Ganglia Iron in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Measured with 7T Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Correlates with Inhibitory Control. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2016; 37:439-46. [PMID: 26611996 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE T2 hypointensity in the basal ganglia of patients with MS has been associated with clinical progression and cognitive decline. Our objectives were the following: 1) to compare signal in T2WI, R2 (ie, 1/T2), and R2* (ie, 1/T2*) relaxation rates and quantitative susceptibility mapping; and 2) to investigate the associations among MR imaging, clinical scores, and cognitive measures of inhibitory control linked to basal ganglia functioning. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-nine patients with MS underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests including the Flanker and Stroop tasks. 7T MR imaging included 3D gradient-echo and single-echo multishot spin-echo EPI. Quantitative susceptibility mapping images were calculated by using a Wiener filter deconvolution algorithm. T2WI signal was normalized to CSF. R2 and R2* were calculated by log-linear regression. Average MR imaging metrics for the globus pallidus, putamen, and caudate were computed from manually traced ROIs including the largest central part of each structure. RESULTS Marked spatial variation was consistently visualized on quantitative susceptibility mapping and T2/T2*WI within each basal ganglia structure. MR imaging metrics correlated with each other for each basal ganglia structure individually. Notably, caudate and putamen quantitative susceptibility mapping metrics were similar, but the putamen R2 was larger than the caudate R2. This finding suggests that tissue features contribute differently to R2 and quantitative susceptibility mapping. Caudate and anterior putamen quantitative susceptibility mapping correlated with the Flanker but not Stroop measures; R2 did not correlate with inhibitory control measures. Putamen quantitative susceptibility mapping and caudate and putamen R2 correlated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale. CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that quantitative susceptibility mapping and R2 may be complementary indicators for basal ganglia tissue changes in MS. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that decreased performance of basal ganglia-reliant tasks involving inhibitory control is associated with increased quantitative susceptibility mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Schmalbrock
- From the Departments of Radiology (P.S., G.K.Y., M. Russell, M.V.K.)
| | | | | | | | - G K Yang
- From the Departments of Radiology (P.S., G.K.Y., M. Russell, M.V.K.)
| | - M Russell
- From the Departments of Radiology (P.S., G.K.Y., M. Russell, M.V.K.)
| | - M V Knopp
- From the Departments of Radiology (P.S., G.K.Y., M. Russell, M.V.K.)
| | - A Boster
- Neurology (A.B., J.A.N., M. Racke), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - J A Nicholas
- Neurology (A.B., J.A.N., M. Racke), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - M Racke
- Neurology (A.B., J.A.N., M. Racke), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - D Pitt
- Department of Neurology (D.P.), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Wong CN, Chaddock-Heyman L, Voss MW, Burzynska AZ, Basak C, Erickson KI, Prakash RS, Szabo-Reed AN, Phillips SM, Wojcicki T, Mailey EL, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Brain activation during dual-task processing is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and performance in older adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2015; 7:154. [PMID: 26321949 PMCID: PMC4532928 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with better cognitive performance and enhanced brain activation. Yet, the extent to which cardiorespiratory fitness-related brain activation is associated with better cognitive performance is not well understood. In this cross-sectional study, we examined whether the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and executive function was mediated by greater prefrontal cortex activation in healthy older adults. Brain activation was measured during dual-task performance with functional magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 128 healthy older adults (59–80 years). Higher cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with greater activation during dual-task processing in several brain areas including the anterior cingulate and supplementary motor cortex (ACC/SMA), thalamus and basal ganglia, right motor/somatosensory cortex and middle frontal gyrus, and left somatosensory cortex, controlling for age, sex, education, and gray matter volume. Of these regions, greater ACC/SMA activation mediated the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and dual-task performance. We provide novel evidence that cardiorespiratory fitness may support cognitive performance by facilitating brain activation in a core region critical for executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea N Wong
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA ; The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Laura Chaddock-Heyman
- The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Michelle W Voss
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Agnieszka Z Burzynska
- The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Chandramallika Basak
- The Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kirk I Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ruchika S Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Amanda N Szabo-Reed
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Siobhan M Phillips
- Department of Preventative Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Thomas Wojcicki
- Exercise Science, Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Bellarmine University Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Emily L Mailey
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Edward McAuley
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Arthur F Kramer
- The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
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Leckie RL, Oberlin LE, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Szabo-Reed A, Chaddock-Heyman L, Phillips SM, Gothe NP, Mailey E, Vieira-Potter VJ, Martin SA, Pence BD, Lin M, Parasuraman R, Greenwood PM, Fryxell KJ, Woods JA, McAuley E, Kramer AF, Erickson KI. BDNF mediates improvements in executive function following a 1-year exercise intervention. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:985. [PMID: 25566019 PMCID: PMC4263078 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive function declines with age, but engaging in aerobic exercise may attenuate decline. One mechanism by which aerobic exercise may preserve executive function is through the up-regulation of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which also declines with age. The present study examined BDNF as a mediator of the effects of a 1-year walking intervention on executive function in 90 older adults (mean age = 66.82). Participants were randomized to a stretching and toning control group or a moderate intensity walking intervention group. BDNF serum levels and performance on a task-switching paradigm were collected at baseline and follow-up. We found that age moderated the effect of intervention group on changes in BDNF levels, with those in the highest age quartile showing the greatest increase in BDNF after 1-year of moderate intensity walking exercise (p = 0.036). The mediation analyses revealed that BDNF mediated the effect of the intervention on task-switch accuracy, but did so as a function of age, such that exercise-induced changes in BDNF mediated the effect of exercise on task-switch performance only for individuals over the age of 71. These results demonstrate that both age and BDNF serum levels are important factors to consider when investigating the mechanisms by which exercise interventions influence cognitive outcomes, particularly in elderly populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina L Leckie
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lauren E Oberlin
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michelle W Voss
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
| | | | - Amanda Szabo-Reed
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Laura Chaddock-Heyman
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Siobhan M Phillips
- Department of Preventative Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Neha P Gothe
- Department of Kinesiology, Wayne State University Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Emily Mailey
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Victoria J Vieira-Potter
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Stephen A Martin
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Brandt D Pence
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Mingkuan Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, George Mason University Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Raja Parasuraman
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University Fairfax, VA, USA
| | | | - Karl J Fryxell
- School of Molecular Biology, George Mason University Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Woods
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Edward McAuley
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA ; Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Arthur F Kramer
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Kirk I Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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9
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Voss MW, Heo S, Prakash RS, Erickson KI, Alves H, Chaddock L, Szabo AN, Mailey EL, Wójcicki TR, White SM, Gothe N, McAuley E, Sutton BP, Kramer AF. The influence of aerobic fitness on cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive function in older adults: results of a one-year exercise intervention. Hum Brain Mapp 2012; 34:2972-85. [PMID: 22674729 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 359] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Revised: 02/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Cerebral white matter (WM) degeneration occurs with increasing age and is associated with declining cognitive function. Research has shown that cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise are effective as protective, even restorative, agents against cognitive and neurobiological impairments in older adults. In this study, we investigated whether the beneficial impact of aerobic fitness would extend to WM integrity in the context of a one-year exercise intervention. Further, we examined the pattern of diffusivity changes to better understand the underlying biological mechanisms. Finally, we assessed whether training-induced changes in WM integrity would be associated with improvements in cognitive performance independent of aerobic fitness gains. Results showed that aerobic fitness training did not affect group-level change in WM integrity, executive function, or short-term memory, but that greater aerobic fitness derived from the walking program was associated with greater change in WM integrity in the frontal and temporal lobes, and greater improvement in short-term memory. Increases in WM integrity, however, were not associated with short-term memory improvement, independent of fitness improvements. Therefore, while not all findings are consistent with previous research, we provide novel evidence for correlated change in training-induced aerobic fitness, WM integrity, and cognition among healthy older adults.
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Prakash RS, De Leon AA, Mourany L, Lee H, Voss MW, Boot WR, Basak C, Fabiani M, Gratton G, Kramer AF. Examining neural correlates of skill acquisition in a complex videogame training program. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:115. [PMID: 22615690 PMCID: PMC3351675 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2012] [Accepted: 04/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquisition of complex skills is a universal feature of human behavior that has been conceptualized as a process that starts with intense resource dependency, requires effortful cognitive control, and ends in relative automaticity on the multi-faceted task. The present study examined the effects of different theoretically based training strategies on cortical recruitment during acquisition of complex video game skills. Seventy-five participants were recruited and assigned to one of three training groups: (1) Fixed Emphasis Training (FET), in which participants practiced the game, (2) Hybrid Variable-Priority Training (HVT), in which participants practiced using a combination of part-task training and variable priority training, or (3) a Control group that received limited game play. After 30 h of training, game data indicated a significant advantage for the two training groups relative to the control group. The HVT group demonstrated enhanced benefits of training, as indexed by an improvement in overall game score and a reduction in cortical recruitment post-training. Specifically, while both groups demonstrated a significant reduction of activation in attentional control areas, namely the right middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, participants in the control group continued to engage these areas post-training, suggesting a sustained reliance on attentional regions during challenging task demands. The HVT group showed a further reduction in neural resources post-training compared to the FET group in these cognitive control regions, along with reduced activation in the motor and sensory cortices and the posteromedial cortex. Findings suggest that training, specifically one that emphasizes cognitive flexibility can reduce the attentional demands of a complex cognitive task, along with reduced reliance on the motor network.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lyla Mourany
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University,Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hyunkyu Lee
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois,Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Michelle W. Voss
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois,Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Walter R. Boot
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University,Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Chandramallika Basak
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
| | - Monica Fabiani
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois,Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Gabriele Gratton
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois,Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Arthur F. Kramer
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois,Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA
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11
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Szabo AN, McAuley E, Erickson KI, Voss M, Prakash RS, Mailey EL, Wójcicki TR, White SM, Gothe N, Olson EA, Kramer AF. Cardiorespiratory fitness, hippocampal volume, and frequency of forgetting in older adults. Neuropsychology 2012; 25:545-53. [PMID: 21500917 DOI: 10.1037/a0022733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to extend our earlier work to determine the extent to which cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with the frequency of memory problems via its effects on the hippocampus and spatial working memory. We hypothesized that age, sex, education, body composition, and physical activity were direct determinants of fitness, which, in turn, influenced frequency of forgetting indirectly through hippocampal volume and spatial working memory. METHOD We conducted assessments of demographic characteristics, Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, hippocampal volume, spatial working memory, and frequency of forgetting in 158 older adults (M age = 66.49). Path analyses within a covariance modeling framework were used to examine relationships among these constructs. RESULTS Sex, age, BMI, and education were all significant determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness. The hypothesized path models for testing the effects of fitness on frequency of forgetting through hippocampal volume and accuracy and speed of spatial working memory all fit the data well. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that older adults with higher levels of fitness show greater preservation of hippocampal volume, which, in turn, is associated with more accurate and faster spatial memory and fewer episodes of forgetting. Given the proportion of older adults reporting memory problems, it is necessary to determine whether improvements in fitness brought about by physical activity interventions can result in subsequent attenuation of memory problems or potentially in improvements in memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N Szabo
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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12
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Vo LTK, Walther DB, Kramer AF, Erickson KI, Boot WR, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Lee H, Fabiani M, Gratton G, Simons DJ, Sutton BP, Wang MY. Predicting individuals' learning success from patterns of pre-learning MRI activity. PLoS One 2011; 6:e16093. [PMID: 21264257 PMCID: PMC3021541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Accepted: 12/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Performance in most complex cognitive and psychomotor tasks improves with training, yet the extent of improvement varies among individuals. Is it possible to forecast the benefit that a person might reap from training? Several behavioral measures have been used to predict individual differences in task improvement, but their predictive power is limited. Here we show that individual differences in patterns of time-averaged T2*-weighted MRI images in the dorsal striatum recorded at the initial stage of training predict subsequent learning success in a complex video game with high accuracy. These predictions explained more than half of the variance in learning success among individuals, suggesting that individual differences in neuroanatomy or persistent physiology predict whether and to what extent people will benefit from training in a complex task. Surprisingly, predictions from white matter were highly accurate, while voxels in the gray matter of the dorsal striatum did not contain any information about future training success. Prediction accuracy was higher in the anterior than the posterior half of the dorsal striatum. The link between trainability and the time-averaged T2*-weighted signal in the dorsal striatum reaffirms the role of this part of the basal ganglia in learning and executive functions, such as task-switching and task coordination processes. The ability to predict who will benefit from training by using neuroimaging data collected in the early training phase may have far-reaching implications for the assessment of candidates for specific training programs as well as the study of populations that show deficiencies in learning new skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loan T. K. Vo
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Dirk B. Walther
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Arthur F. Kramer
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Kirk I. Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Walter R. Boot
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
| | - Michelle W. Voss
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Ruchika S. Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Hyunkyu Lee
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Monica Fabiani
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Gabriele Gratton
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Daniel J. Simons
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Bradley P. Sutton
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Michelle Y. Wang
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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13
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Voss MW, Prakash RS, Erickson KI, Basak C, Chaddock L, Kim JS, Alves H, Heo S, Szabo AN, White SM, Wójcicki TR, Mailey EL, Gothe N, Olson EA, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Plasticity of brain networks in a randomized intervention trial of exercise training in older adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2010; 2. [PMID: 20890449 PMCID: PMC2947936 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2010.00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 353] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2010] [Accepted: 07/02/2010] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Research has shown the human brain is organized into separable functional networks during rest and varied states of cognition, and that aging is associated with specific network dysfunctions. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine low-frequency (0.008 < f < 0.08 Hz) coherence of cognitively relevant and sensory brain networks in older adults who participated in a 1-year intervention trial, comparing the effects of aerobic and non-aerobic fitness training on brain function and cognition. Results showed that aerobic training improved the aging brain's resting functional efficiency in higher-level cognitive networks. One year of walking increased functional connectivity between aspects of the frontal, posterior, and temporal cortices within the Default Mode Network and a Frontal Executive Network, two brain networks central to brain dysfunction in aging. Length of training was also an important factor. Effects in favor of the walking group were observed only after 12 months of training, compared to non-significant trends after 6 months. A non-aerobic stretching and toning group also showed increased functional connectivity in the DMN after 6 months and in a Frontal Parietal Network after 12 months, possibly reflecting experience-dependent plasticity. Finally, we found that changes in functional connectivity were behaviorally relevant. Increased functional connectivity was associated with greater improvement in executive function. Therefore the study provides the first evidence for exercise-induced functional plasticity in large-scale brain systems in the aging brain, using functional connectivity techniques, and offers new insight into the role of aerobic fitness in attenuating age-related brain dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle W Voss
- Department of Psychology, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign IL, USA
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14
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Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Chaddock L, Kramer AF. A cross-sectional study of hormone treatment and hippocampal volume in postmenopausal women: evidence for a limited window of opportunity. Neuropsychology 2010; 24:68-76. [PMID: 20063947 DOI: 10.1037/a0017292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The influence of hormone treatment on brain and cognition in postmenopausal women has been a controversial topic. Contradictory patterns of results have prompted speculation that a critical period, or limited window of opportunity, exists for hormone treatment to protect against neurocognitive. In this cross-sectional study of 102 postmenopausal women, we examined whether hippocampal, amygdala, or caudate nucleus volumes and spatial memory performance were related to the interval between menopause and the initiation of hormone treatment. Consistent with a critical period hypothesis, we found that shorter intervals between menopause and the initiation of hormone treatment were associated with larger hippocampal volumes compared with longer intervals between menopause and treatment initiation. Initiation of hormone treatment at the time of menopause was also associated with larger hippocampal volumes when compared with peers who had never used hormone treatment. Furthermore, these effects were independent from potentially confounding factors such as age, years of education, the duration of hormone treatment, current or past use of hormone therapy, the type of therapy, and age at menopause. Larger hippocampal volumes in women who initiated hormone treatment at the time of menopause failed to translate to improved spatial memory performance. There was no relationship between timing of hormone initiation, spatial memory performance, and amygdala or caudate nucleus volume. Our results provide support for a limited window of opportunity for hormone treatment to influence hippocampal volume, yet the degree to which these effects translate to improved memory performance is uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk I Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.
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15
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Erickson KI, Boot WR, Basak C, Neider MB, Prakash RS, Voss MW, Graybiel AM, Simons DJ, Fabiani M, Gratton G, Kramer AF. Striatal volume predicts level of video game skill acquisition. Cereb Cortex 2010; 20:2522-30. [PMID: 20089946 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhp293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Video game skills transfer to other tasks, but individual differences in performance and in learning and transfer rates make it difficult to identify the source of transfer benefits. We asked whether variability in initial acquisition and of improvement in performance on a demanding video game, the Space Fortress game, could be predicted by variations in the pretraining volume of either of 2 key brain regions implicated in learning and memory: the striatum, implicated in procedural learning and cognitive flexibility, and the hippocampus, implicated in declarative memory. We found that hippocampal volumes did not predict learning improvement but that striatal volumes did. Moreover, for the striatum, the volumes of the dorsal striatum predicted improvement in performance but the volumes of the ventral striatum did not. Both ventral and dorsal striatal volumes predicted early acquisition rates. Furthermore, this early-stage correlation between striatal volumes and learning held regardless of the cognitive flexibility demands of the game versions, whereas the predictive power of the dorsal striatal volumes held selectively for performance improvements in a game version emphasizing cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest a neuroanatomical basis for the superiority of training strategies that promote cognitive flexibility and transfer to untrained tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk I Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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16
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Voss MW, Erickson KI, Prakash RS, Chaddock L, Malkowski E, Alves H, Kim JS, Morris KS, White SM, Wójcicki TR, Hu L, Szabo A, Klamm E, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Functional connectivity: a source of variance in the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognition? Neuropsychologia 2010; 48:1394-406. [PMID: 20079755 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2009] [Revised: 12/23/2009] [Accepted: 01/07/2010] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Over the next 20 years the number of Americans diagnosed with dementia is expected to more than double (CDC, 2007). It is, therefore, an important public health initiative to understand what factors contribute to the longevity of a healthy mind. Both default mode network (DMN) function and increased aerobic fitness have been associated with better cognitive performance and reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease among older adults. Here we examine the association between aerobic fitness, functional connectivity in the DMN, and cognitive performance. Results showed significant age-related deficits in functional connectivity in both local and distributed DMN pathways. However, in a group of healthy elderly adults, almost half of the age-related disconnections showed increased functional connectivity as a function of aerobic fitness level. Finally, we examine the hypothesis that functional connectivity in the DMN is one source of variance in the relationship between aerobic fitness and cognition. Results demonstrate instances of both specific and global DMN connectivity mediating the relationship between fitness and cognition. We provide the first evidence for functional connectivity as a source of variance in the association between aerobic fitness and cognition, and discuss results in the context of neurobiological theories of cognitive aging and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle W Voss
- Beckman Institute & Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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17
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Erickson KI, Prakash RS, Voss MW, Chaddock L, Hu L, Morris KS, White SM, Wójcicki TR, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Aerobic fitness is associated with hippocampal volume in elderly humans. Hippocampus 2009; 19:1030-9. [PMID: 19123237 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 630] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Deterioration of the hippocampus occurs in elderly individuals with and without dementia, yet individual variation exists in the degree and rate of hippocampal decay. Determining the factors that influence individual variation in the magnitude and rate of hippocampal decay may help promote lifestyle changes that prevent such deterioration from taking place. Aerobic fitness and exercise are effective at preventing cortical decay and cognitive impairment in older adults and epidemiological studies suggest that physical activity can reduce the risk for developing dementia. However, the relationship between aerobic fitness and hippocampal volume in elderly humans is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether individuals with higher levels of aerobic fitness displayed greater volume of the hippocampus and better spatial memory performance than individuals with lower fitness levels. Furthermore, in exploratory analyses, we assessed whether hippocampal volume mediated the relationship between fitness and spatial memory. Using a region-of-interest analysis on magnetic resonance images in 165 nondemented older adults, we found a triple association such that higher fitness levels were associated with larger left and right hippocampi after controlling for age, sex, and years of education, and larger hippocampi and higher fitness levels were correlated with better spatial memory performance. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hippocampal volume partially mediated the relationship between higher fitness levels and enhanced spatial memory. Our results clearly indicate that higher levels of aerobic fitness are associated with increased hippocampal volume in older humans, which translates to better memory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk I Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.
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18
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Vo LTK, Walther DB, Wang YM, Erickson KI, Boot WR, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Kramer AF. Predicting training success from pre-training brain activity. Neuroimage 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/s1053-8119(09)70182-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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19
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Voss MW, Erickson KI, Chaddock L, Prakash RS, Colcombe SJ, Morris KS, Doerksen S, Hu L, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Dedifferentiation in the visual cortex: an fMRI investigation of individual differences in older adults. Brain Res 2008; 1244:121-31. [PMID: 18848823 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.09.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2008] [Revised: 08/16/2008] [Accepted: 09/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Dedifferentiation, or decreased processing specificity, has been suggested to represent a ubiquitous characteristic of cognitive aging. In this study, we examined both age-related differences and intra-group differences in neural specificity in the ventral visual cortex for color, words, faces and places. Our results demonstrated that neural dedifferentiation was not ubiquitous across stimulus categories. Neural dedifferentiation was also relatively stable, across age, in a group of older adults. Older adults with more overall gray matter showed less neural dedifferentiation in the visual cortex. However, regional gray matter volume was not associated with neural dedifferentiation. We illustrate these effects using a discriminability metric, a signal detection theory measure, for neural dedifferentiation that takes into account both magnitude and variance of brain activation. The dedifferentiation measure provides a quantitative means to examine activation patterns and individual difference factors associated with neural dedifferentiation, and to test theories of behavioral dedifferentiation in cognitive aging literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle W Voss
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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Abstract
There is debate in the literature regarding the magnitude, nature, and influence of cognitive impairment in individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis that quantified the overall magnitude of cognitive impairment in individuals with RRMS and identified the domains of cognition and clinical/demographic variables that were moderators of the overall effect. We included 57 studies with 3891 participants that yielded a total of 755 effect sizes. Overall, there was a moderate decline in cognitive functioning in individuals with RRMS compared with healthy controls. Larger effects were observed in cognitive domains of motor functioning, mood status and memory and learning. Regarding demographic and clinical variables, age and gender were moderators of cognitive impairment in all cognitive domains, whereas neurological disability and disease duration primarily moderated performance on tasks assessing memory and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- R S Prakash
- Beckman Institute & Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
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