Relation between aerobic fitness and brain structures in amnestic mild cognitive impairment elderly.
Mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a clinical condition, with high risk to develop Alzheimer's disease. Physical exercise may have positive effect on cognition and brain structure in older adults. However, it is still under research whether these influences are true on aMCI subjects with low Ab_42 and high total tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is considered a biomarker for AD. Therefore, we aimed to investigate a possible relation between aerobic fitness (AF) and gray matter (GM) volume and AF and white matter (WM) integrity in aMCI with a CSF biomarker. Twenty-two participants with aMCI acquired the images on a 3.0-T MRI. AF was assessed by a graded exercise test on a treadmill. Voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistic methods were used to analyze the GM volume and WM microstructural integrity, respectively. We correlated AF and GM volume and WM integrity in aMCI (p < 0.05, FWE corrected, cluster with at least five voxels). There was a positive relation between AF and GM volume mostly in frontal superior cortex. In WM integrity, AF was positively correlated with fractional anisotropy and negatively correlated with mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity, all in the same tracts that interconnect frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital areas (longitudinal fasciculus, fronto-occipital fasciculus, and corpus callosum). These results suggest that aerobic fitness may have a positive influence on protection of brain even in aMCI CSF biomarker, a high-risk population to convert to AD.
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil. cateixeira98@yahoo.com.br.
Camila Vieira Ligo
CV
Teixeira
Medical Physics Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Thiago J R
TJ
Rezende
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil.
Marina
M
Weiler
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil.
Mateus H
MH
Nogueira
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil.
Brunno M
BM
Campos
Department of Psychiatry, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Luiz F L
LF
Pegoraro
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil.
Jessica E
JE
Vicentini
Cardiovascular Department, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Gabriela
G
Scriptore
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil.
Fernando
F
Cendes
NeuroImage Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Faculty, UNICAMP, Rua Vital Brasil, 251 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP-13083-888, Brazil.
Marcio L F
ML
Balthazar
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*
Aerobic fitness; Brain structure; Elderly; Gray matter; Mild cognitive impairment; White matter