title: Dance Experience and Associations with Cortical Gray Matter Thickness in the Aging Population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated the effect dance experience may have on cortical gray matter thickness and cognitive performance in elderly participants with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  39 cognitively normal and 48 MCI elderly participants completed a questionnaire regarding their lifetime experience with music, dance, and song. Participants identified themselves as either dancers or nondancers. All participants received structural 1.5-tesla MRI scans and detailed clinical and neuropsychological evaluations. An advanced 3D cortical mapping technique was then applied to calculate cortical thickness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite having a trend-level significantly thinner cortex, dancers performed better in cognitive tasks involving learning and memory, such as the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) short delay free recall (p = 0.004), the CVLT-II long delay free recall (p = 0.003), and the CVLT-II learning over trials 1-5 (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Together, these results suggest that dance may result in an enhancement of cognitive reserve in aging, which may help avert or delay MCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Shai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Porat
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Naira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goukasian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, Mich., USA.
authors.forename: Kristy S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zanto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Triet
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Do
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pierce
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Shantanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Los Angeles, Calif, USA; Department of Neurology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Ind, USA.
authors.forename: Liana G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Apostolova
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Cortical thickness; Dancing; Dementia; Gray matter thickness; MRI; Mild cognitive impairment; Neuroimaging