Introduction:
Observational studies have found that physical activity is associated with a
reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Whether physical activity may also reduce the level of
AD pathology, remains undetermined.
Objective:
To examine the relationship between physical activity and AD biomarkers (beta-amyloid1-
42, total tau and phosphorylated tau in CSF, amyloid PET, hippocampal atrophy on MRI and parietotemporal
hypometabolism on brain 18F-FDG-PET).
Methods:
We carried out a systematic review of the observational studies of physical activity and AD
biomarkers in healthy subjects, subjective cognitive complaints, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and
AD dementia.
Results:
We identified a total of 40 papers, which were eligible for inclusion. Thirty-four studies were
conducted on healthy subjects, 3 on MCI and healthy subjects, 1 on MCI, and 2 on AD and healthy
controls. Six studies reported on CSF biomarkers, 9 on amyloid PET, 29 on MRI and 4 on brain 18FFDG-
PET. The majority of studies did not find a significant association between physical activity and
AD biomarkers
Conclusion:
The quality of included studies with only a few longitudinal studies, limits the conclusions
which may be drawn from the present findings especially regarding the biomarkers other than hippocampal
volume. However, the majority of the identified studies did not find a significant association.