title: Effects of a 14-day healthy longevity lifestyle program on cognition and brain function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a 14-day healthy longevity lifestyle program on cognition and cerebral metabolism in people with mild age-related memory complaints.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen nondemented subjects, aged 35-69 years (mean: 53 years, standard deviation: 10) with mild self-reported memory complaints but normal baseline memory performance scores were randomly assigned to 1) the intervention group (N = 8): a program combining a brain healthy diet plan, relaxation exercises, cardiovascular conditioning, and mental exercise (brain teasers and verbal memory training techniques); or 2) the control group (N = 9): usual lifestyle routine. Pre- and postintervention measures included self-assessments of memory ability, objective tests of cognitive performance, and determinations of regional cerebral metabolism during mental rest with [fluorine-18]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects in the intervention group objectively demonstrated greater word fluency. Concomitantly, their FDG-PET scans identified a 5% decrease in activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The control group showed no significant change in any of the measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A short-term healthy lifestyle program combining mental and physical exercise, stress reduction, and healthy diet was associated with significant effects on cognitive function and brain metabolism. Reduced resting activity in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may reflect greater cognitive efficiency of a brain region involved in working memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. gsmall@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Gary W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Daniel H S
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Prabha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siddarth
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ercoli
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lavretsky
authors.forename: Benjamin C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Susan Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Bookheimer
authors.forename: Jorge R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Barrio
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Phelps
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012063:Relaxation
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18