Brain, cognition and physically active lifestyle in healthy ageing
Normal ageing is accompanied by profound changes in brain structure and
declines in the automatic processing of sensory stimuli, which in turn lead to
altered cognitive performance. However, behaviour and lifestyle factors, such
as physical activity, may help to maintain the brain’s structural connectivity
and function, as well as cognitive functioning in old age. Study I examined the
effects of age on the brain’s capability to detect changes in somatosensory
stimuli by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to electrical
stimulation of different fingers in young and older adults. The results of Study I
show that somatosensory mismatch response (sMMR) was attenuated in
amplitude in older subjects as compared to young adults, indicating age-related
decline in somatosensory change detection. Study II investigated whether age-
related decline in the change detection mechanism in somatosensory and
auditory modalities is associated with age-related alterations in cognitive
performance, and whether physical fitness modulates this relationship. The
results of Study II showed that the higher the sMMR amplitudes were the better
executive functions older adults had. In addition, better aerobic fitness was
linked to higher somatosensory ERP amplitudes and to better executive
functions. Study III examined whether physical activity mediates the effect of
age on the brain’s white matter integrity, and whether, in tracts sensitive to
physical activity, this integrity mediates age-related decline in cognitive speed
and fluid cognitive capabilities. The results of Study III show that overall daily
physical activity mitigates age-related decline of white matter integrity. In
addition, physical activity that benefits white matter integrity in the genu of the
corpus callosum is associated with reduced ageing-related slowing of reaction
times. Overall, these results indicate that age-related changes in the brain’s
electrophysiological responses are linked to changes in cognitive performance,
and that a physically active lifestyle protects against age-related structural
disconnection and cognitive slowing, as good aerobic fitness helps to preserve
physiological and executive functions in ageing.
...
Publisher
University of JyväskyläISBN
978-951-39-7446-6ISSN Search the Publication Forum
0075-4625Keywords
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