The impact of acute exercise on cognitive function in healthy older adults

Objectives: Participating in physical activity and maintaining physical performance as well as reducing sedentary behavior are discussed to be beneficially associated with cognitive function in older adults. The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis was to differentiate the relevance of objectively measured physical activity, physical performance, and sedentary behavior on cognitive function in healthy older adults (n = 56, age = 76 ± 7 yrs, gender = 30 female).Methods: Accelerometer based physical activity and sedentary behavior were analyzed as minutes per week spent sedentary and physically active with light or moderate to vigorous intensity. Participants' physical performance was assessed via cardiopulmonary exercise testing and analyzed as maximal workload and heart rate, heart rate reserve and peak oxygen uptake. The assessment of cognitive function included working memory, attention, executive function, and verbal memory. Data was analyzed with Spearman and partial correlations. Trial registration: NCT02343029.Results: Light physical activity was moderately associated with executive function (r = −0.339, p = 0.015). Attention was significantly associated with maximal workload (r = −0.286, p = 0.042) and peak oxygen uptake (r = −0.337, p = 0.015). Working memory was associated with maximal workload (r = 0.329, p = 0.017).Conclusion: Whereas a broad range of cognitive function were beneficially linked to physical performance, light intensity activities in particular showed an impact on executive function. Our research underlines the need to separate the impact of physical performance and physical activity on cognitive function and highlights the relevance of light physical activity.

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Subclinical Depression Moderates the Effect of Sleep Quality on Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e525202013-008 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

C. Sutter ◽

J. Zollig ◽

M. Allemand ◽

M. Martin

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Subclinical Depression

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The Impact of Stereotype Threat on Memory and Cognition in Older Adults

Western Journal of Nursing Research ◽

10.1177/01939459211029718 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 019394592110297

Author(s):

Graham J. McDougall ◽

Todd B. Monroe ◽

Keenan A. Pituch ◽

Michael A. Carter ◽

Laurie Abbott

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Stereotype Threat ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Training Group ◽

Memory Training ◽

Unique Contribution ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Bivariate Correlation ◽

The Impact

Cultural stereotypes that equate aging with decreased competence and increased forgetfulness have persisted for decades. Stereotype threat (ST) refers to the psychological discomfort people experience when confronted by a negative, self-relevant stereotype in a situation where their behavior could be construed as confirming that belief. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of ST on memory performance in older adults over 24 months. The ST levels on average significantly declined, or improved in the memory training, but not the health training group. Although not significant at the .01 level, the bivariate correlation indicated that change in ST was moderately related to change in verbal memory, suggesting the possibility that improvements (or reductions) in ST may be related to increases in verbal memory scores. We discovered that the unique contribution of ST into the memory performance of healthy older adults offers a possible malleable trait.

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Effects of masticatory exercise on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults

Technology and Health Care ◽

10.3233/thc-218013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 125-131

Author(s):

Tae-Hoon Kim

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽

Digit Span ◽

Stroop Test ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Digit Span Test ◽

Span Test ◽

Test Digit

BACKGROUND: Mastication improves cognitive function by activating cerebral cortical activity, and it is important to demonstrate the cognitive effects of masticatory training using a variety of different interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of masticatory exercise on cognitive function in healthy older adults living in the community. METHODS: For six weeks, twelve participants performed a masticatory exercise using a NOSICK exerciser device, and thirteen subjects performed daily life without masticatory exercises. Trail Making Test, Digit Span Test, and Stroop test were used to measure the cognitive function. RESULTS: The participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in TMT-A/B (p= 0.001 and 0.004), DST-forward (p= 0.001), and ST-word (p= 0.001). The effect sizes after the intervention were calculated as (1.2 and 0.8) for TMT-A/B, (0.8 and 0.2) for Digit Span Test forward/backward, and (0.6 and 0.2) for Stroop test color/word. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the masticatory exercises improve cognitive function in healthy older adults. Therefore, masticatory exercises can be used as a therapeutic exercise during cognitive rehabilitation.

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β-Amyloid is Associated with Reduced Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Journal of Neuropsychiatry ◽

10.1176/jnp.2008.20.3.327 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 327-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

John Gunstad ◽

Mary Beth Spitznagel ◽

Ellen Glickman ◽

Thomas Alexander ◽

Judi Juvancic-Heltzel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Β Amyloid

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A randomised controlled intervention trial evaluating the efficacy of a Mediterranean dietary pattern on cognitive function and psychological wellbeing in healthy older adults: the MedLey study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-015-0054-8 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Alissa Knight ◽

Janet Bryan ◽

Carlene Wilson ◽

Jonathan Hodgson ◽

Karen Murphy

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Dietary Pattern ◽

Psychological Wellbeing ◽

Intervention Trial ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Mediterranean Dietary Pattern ◽

Randomised Controlled

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When Culture Influences Genes: Positive Age Beliefs Amplify the Cognitive-Aging Benefit of APOE ε2

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbaa126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 75 (8) ◽

pp. e198-e203

Author(s):

Becca R Levy ◽

Martin D Slade ◽

Robert H Pietrzak ◽

Luigi Ferrucci

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Cognitive Benefit ◽

Study Participants ◽

The Impact ◽

Retirement Study

Abstract Objectives Most studies of aging cognition have focused on risk factors for worse performance and on either genetic or environmental factors. In contrast, we examined whether 2 factors known to individually benefit aging cognition may interact to produce better cognition: environment-based positive age beliefs and the APOE ε2 gene. Method The sample consisted of 3,895 Health and Retirement Study participants who were 60 years or older at baseline and completed as many as 5 assessments of cognition over 8 years. Results As predicted, positive age beliefs amplified the cognitive benefit of APOE ε2. In contrast, negative age beliefs suppressed the cognitive benefit of APOE ε2. We also found that positive age beliefs contributed nearly 15 times more than APOE ε2 to better cognition. Discussion This study provides the first known evidence that self-perceptions can influence the impact of a gene on cognition. The results underscore the importance of combined psychosocial and biological approaches to understanding cognitive function in older adults.

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