title: Senior Dance Experience, Cognitive Performance, and Brain Volume in Older Women.
abstract: Physical activity is positively related to cognitive functioning and brain volume in older adults. Interestingly, different types of physical activity vary in their effects on cognition and on the brain. For example, dancing has become an interesting topic in aging research, as it is a popular leisure activity among older adults, involving cardiovascular and motor fitness dimensions that can be positively related to cognition. However, studies on brain structure are missing. In this study, we tested the association of long-term senior dance experience with cognitive performance and gray matter brain volume in older women aged 65 to 82 years. We compared nonprofessional senior dancers (n= 28) with nonsedentary control group participants without any dancing experience (n= 29), who were similar in age, education, IQ score, lifestyle and health factors, and fitness level. Differences neither in the four tested cognitive domains (executive control, perceptual speed, episodic memory, and long-term memory) nor in brain volume (VBM whole-brain analysis, region-of-interest analysis of the hippocampus) were observed. Results indicate that moderate dancing activity (1-2 times per week, on average) has no additional effects on gray matter volume and cognitive functioning when a certain lifestyle or physical activity and fitness level are reached.
authors.affiliation: Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Institute of Human Movement Science and Health, Technische Universität Chemnitz, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niemann
authors.affiliation: Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Department of Psychology & Methods, Jacobs University, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Center for Cognitive Science, Bremen University, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Godde
authors.affiliation: Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Institute of Human Movement Science and Health, Technische Universität Chemnitz, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany; Center for Cognitive Science, Bremen University, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5398-4099
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Voelcker-Rehage
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003615:Dancing / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*