Higher Physical Activity Is Associated with Increased Attentional Network Connectivity in the Healthy Elderly.
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the potential alterations in structural network properties related to physical activity (PA) in healthy elderly. We recruited 76 elderly individuals with normal cognition from Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea. All participants underwent the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery and 3.0T brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Participants were subdivided into quartiles according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores, which represents the amount of PA. Through graph theory based analyses, we compared global and local network topologies according to PA quartile. The higher PA group demonstrated better performance in speed processing compared to the lower PA group. Regional nodal strength also significantly increased in the higher PA group, which involved the bilateral middle frontal, bilateral inferior parietal, right medial orbitofrontal, right superior, and middle temporal gyri. These results were further replicated when the highest and the lowest quartile groups were compared in terms of regional nodal strengths and local efficiency. Our findings that the regional nodal strengths associated with the attentional network were increased in the higher PA group suggest the preventive effects of PA on age-related cognitive decline, especially in attention.
Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University School of MedicineSeoul, Korea; Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineSeoul, Korea; Ewha Brain Institute, Ewha Womans UniversitySeoul, Korea.
Geon Ha
GH
Kim
Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA.
Kiho
K
Im
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University Seoul, Korea.
Hunki
H
Kwon
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineSeoul, Korea; Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical CenterSeoul, Korea; Department of Clinical Research Design and Evaluation, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan UniversitySeoul, Korea; Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan UniversitySeoul, Korea.
Sang Won
SW
Seo
Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine Seoul, Korea.
Byoung Seok
BS
Ye
Department of Neurology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine Seoul, Korea.
Hanna
H
Cho
Department of Neurology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center Incheon, Korea.
Young
Y
Noh
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University Seoul, Korea.
Jong Min
JM
Lee
Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine Seoul, Korea.
Sung Tae
ST
Kim
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University Seoul, Korea.
Sang Eon
SE
Park
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University Seoul, Korea.
Hojeong
H
Kim
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University Seoul, Korea.
Jung Won
JW
Hwang
College of Nursing, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University Seoul, Korea.
Sue J
SJ
Kang
Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine Seoul, Korea.
Jee Hyang
JH
Jeong
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineSeoul, Korea; Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical CenterSeoul, Korea; Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan UniversitySeoul, Korea.
Duk L
DL
Na
attention; brain network; graph analysis; healthy elderly; physical activity