title: Decreases in daily physical activity predict acute decline in attention and executive function in heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reduced physical activity (PA) may be one factor that contributes to cognitive decline and dementia in heart failure (HF). Yet, the longitudinal relationship between PA and cognition in HF is poorly understood owing to limitations of past work, including single-time assessments of PA. This is the first study to examine changes in objectively measured PA and cognition over time in HF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline and 12 weeks, 57 HF patients completed psychosocial self-report measures and a neuropsychological battery and wore an accelerometer for 7 days. At baseline, HF patients spent an average of 597.83 (SD 75.91) minutes per day sedentary. Steps per day declined from baseline to the 12-week follow-up; there was also a trend for declines in moderate-vigorous PA. Regression analyses controlling for sex, HF severity, and depressive symptoms showed that decreases in light (P = .08) and moderate-vigorous (P = .04) daily PA emerged as strong predictors of declines in attention/executive function over the 12-week period, but not of memory or language.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reductions in daily PA predicted acute decline in attention/executive function in HF, but not of memory or language. Modifications to daily PA may attenuate cognitive decline, and prospective studies are needed to test this possibility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Alosco
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Spitznagel
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology Psychiatry and Institute on Aging, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Sweet
authors.affiliation: Memory Disorders Research Center, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland, Ohio; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Josephson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. Electronic address: jgunstad@kent.edu.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunstad
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Physical activity; accelerometry; cognitive function; heart failure