Physical activity and cognition in the elderly: A review

Busse, Alexandre Leopold; Gil, Gislaine; Santarém, José Maria; Jacob Filho, Wilson

doi:10.1590/S1980-57642009DN30300005

Abstract

Physical activity has been indicated as a strategy to promote health in the elderly, as well as to encourage the maintenance of functional capacity, and acts in the prevention and control of various diseases. In recent years, there has been great interest in studying the benefits of physical activity in the preservation or even improvement of cognitive performance in both the elderly without cognitive impairment and in elderly patients with some degree of cognitive impairment or dementia. The majority of epidemiological studies and clinical trials have evaluated aerobic exercises while few have assessed resistance exercise programs. The objective of this review was to examine the effects of different types of physical activity on cognitive function of elderly individuals with or without prior impairment.

Key words:
aging; dementia; cognition disorders; motor activity.

Resumo

A atividade física tem sido amplamente indicada como uma estratégia para a promoção de saúde no idoso, pois além de favorecer a manutenção da capacidade funcional, atua na prevenção e controle de diversas doenças. Nos últimos anos, tem havido um forte interesse em estudar os benefícios da atividade física na preservação ou mesmo na melhora do desempenho cognitivo tanto em idosos sem comprometimento cognitivo como em idosos com algum comprometimento cognitivo e demência. Os estudos epidemiológicos e a maioria dos ensaios clínicos avaliaram os exercícios aeróbios e poucos ensaios clínicos adotaram programas de exercícios resistidos. O objetivo desta revisão é analisar os efeitos de diferentes tipos de atividade física na função cognitiva de idosos com ou sem comprometimento prévio.

Palavras-chave:
envelhecimento; demência; transtornos cognitivos; atividade motora.

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Full text available only in PDF format.

References

¹
Yaffe K, Barnes D, Nevitt M, Covinsky K. A prospective study of physical activity and cognitive decline in elderly women: women who walk. Arch Int Med 2001;161:1703-1708.
²
Colcomb SJ, Kramer AF. Fitness Effects on the Cognitive Function of Older Adults: A Metaanalytic Study. Psychol Sci 2003;14:125-130.
³
Van Gelder BM, Tijhuis MAR, Kalmijn S, Giampaoli S, Nissinen A, Kromhout D. Physical activity in relation to cognitive decline in elderly men: The FINE Study. Neurology 2004;63: 2316-2321.
⁴
Scherder EJ, Van Paasschen J, Deijen JB, et al. Physical activity and executive functions in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment. Aging Ment Health 2005;9:272-280.
⁵
Bixby WR, Spalding TW, Haufler AJ, et al. The Unique Relation of Physical Activity to Executive Function in Older Men and Women. Med Sci Sports & Exerc 2007;39:1408-1416.
⁶
Angevaren M, Aufdemkampe G, Verhaar HJ, Aleman A, Vanhees L. Physical activity and enhanced fitness to improve cognitive function in older people without known cognitive impairment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008;16:CD005381
⁷
Heyn P, Abreu BC, Ottenbacher KJ. The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: a meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85: 1694-1704
⁸
Laurin D, Verreault R, Lindsay J, MacPherson K, Rockwood K. Physical activity and risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in elderly persons. Arch Neurol 2001;58:498-506.
⁹
Rockwood K, Middleton L. Physical activity and the maintenance of cognitive function. Alz Dementia 2007;3(S):38-44.
¹⁰
Taaffe DR, Irie F, Masaki KH, et al. Physical Activity, Physical Function, and Incident Dementia in Elderly Men: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2008;63:529-535.
¹¹
Larson EB, Wang L, Bowen JD, McCormick WC, Teri L, Crane P, Kukull W. Exercise is associated with reduced risk for incident dementia among persons 65 years of age and older. Ann Intern Med 2006;144:73-81.
¹²
Lautenschlager NT, Cox KL, Flicker L, et al. Effect of physical activity on cognitive function in older adults at risk for Alzheimer disease: a randomized trial. JAMA 2008;300:1027-1037.
¹³
Forbes D, Forbes S, Morgan DG, Markle-Reid M, Wood J, Culum I. Physical activity programs for persons with dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008;16:CD006489.
¹⁴
Perrig-Chiello P. The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in the elderly volunteers. Age Ageing 1998; 27:469-475.
¹⁵
Lachman ME, Neupert SD, Bertrand R, Jette AM. The effects of strength training on memory in older adults. J Aging Phis Act 2006;14:59-73.
¹⁶
Cassilhas RC, Viana VA, Grassmann V, Santos RT, Santos RF, Tufik S, et al. The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39: 1401-1407.
¹⁷
Liu-Ambrose T, Donaldson MG, Ahamed Y, et al. Otago Home-Based Strength and Balance Retraining Improves Executive Functioning in Older Fallers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008;56:1821-1830.
¹⁸
Busse AL, Jacob-Filho W, Magaldi RM, et al. Effects of Resistance Training Exercise on Cognitive Performance in Elderly Individuals with Memory Impairment: Results of a Controlled Trial. Einstein 2008;6:402-407.
¹⁹
Erickson KI, Prakash RS, Voss MW, et al. Aerobic fitness associated with hippocampal volume in elderly humans. Hippocampus 2009; Epub ahead of print.
²⁰
Colcombe SJ, Kramer AF, Erickson KI, et al. Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2004; 101:3316-3321.
²¹
Cotman CW, Berchtold NC. Physical activity and the maintenance of cognition: learning from animal models. Alzheimer Dementia 2007;3(S):30-37.
²²
Farmer J, Zhao X, van Praag H, Wodtke K, Gage FH, and Christie BR. Effects of voluntary exercise on synaptic plasticity and gene expression in the dentate gyrus of adult-male Sprague-Dawley rats in vivo. Neuroscience 2004;124: 71-79.
²³
Kramer AF, Erickson KI. Effects of physical activity on cognition, well-being, and brain: Human interventions. Alzheimer Dementia 2007;3(S):45-51.
²⁴
Kraemer WJ, Adams K, Cafarelli E, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002; 34:364-380.
²⁵
Williams MA, Haskell HL, FAHA, Ades PA, Amsterdam EA, Bittner V, Franklin BA, Gulanick M, Laing ST, Stewart KJ. Resistance Exercise in Individuals with and without Cardiovascular Disease:2007 Update. Circulation 2007;116:572-584.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Jul-Sep 2009

History

Received
09 June 2009
Accepted
06 Aug 2009

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License

[1] ¹
Yaffe K, Barnes D, Nevitt M, Covinsky K. A prospective study of physical activity and cognitive decline in elderly women: women who walk. Arch Int Med 2001;161:1703-1708.

[2] ²
Colcomb SJ, Kramer AF. Fitness Effects on the Cognitive Function of Older Adults: A Metaanalytic Study. Psychol Sci 2003;14:125-130.

[3] ³
Van Gelder BM, Tijhuis MAR, Kalmijn S, Giampaoli S, Nissinen A, Kromhout D. Physical activity in relation to cognitive decline in elderly men: The FINE Study. Neurology 2004;63: 2316-2321.

[4] ⁴
Scherder EJ, Van Paasschen J, Deijen JB, et al. Physical activity and executive functions in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment. Aging Ment Health 2005;9:272-280.

[5] ⁵
Bixby WR, Spalding TW, Haufler AJ, et al. The Unique Relation of Physical Activity to Executive Function in Older Men and Women. Med Sci Sports & Exerc 2007;39:1408-1416.

[6] ⁶
Angevaren M, Aufdemkampe G, Verhaar HJ, Aleman A, Vanhees L. Physical activity and enhanced fitness to improve cognitive function in older people without known cognitive impairment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008;16:CD005381

[7] ⁷
Heyn P, Abreu BC, Ottenbacher KJ. The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: a meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85: 1694-1704

[8] ⁸
Laurin D, Verreault R, Lindsay J, MacPherson K, Rockwood K. Physical activity and risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in elderly persons. Arch Neurol 2001;58:498-506.

[9] ⁹
Rockwood K, Middleton L. Physical activity and the maintenance of cognitive function. Alz Dementia 2007;3(S):38-44.

[10] ¹⁰
Taaffe DR, Irie F, Masaki KH, et al. Physical Activity, Physical Function, and Incident Dementia in Elderly Men: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2008;63:529-535.

[11] ¹¹
Larson EB, Wang L, Bowen JD, McCormick WC, Teri L, Crane P, Kukull W. Exercise is associated with reduced risk for incident dementia among persons 65 years of age and older. Ann Intern Med 2006;144:73-81.

[12] ¹²
Lautenschlager NT, Cox KL, Flicker L, et al. Effect of physical activity on cognitive function in older adults at risk for Alzheimer disease: a randomized trial. JAMA 2008;300:1027-1037.

[13] ¹³
Forbes D, Forbes S, Morgan DG, Markle-Reid M, Wood J, Culum I. Physical activity programs for persons with dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008;16:CD006489.

[14] ¹⁴
Perrig-Chiello P. The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in the elderly volunteers. Age Ageing 1998; 27:469-475.

[15] ¹⁵
Lachman ME, Neupert SD, Bertrand R, Jette AM. The effects of strength training on memory in older adults. J Aging Phis Act 2006;14:59-73.

[16] ¹⁶
Cassilhas RC, Viana VA, Grassmann V, Santos RT, Santos RF, Tufik S, et al. The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39: 1401-1407.

[17] ¹⁷
Liu-Ambrose T, Donaldson MG, Ahamed Y, et al. Otago Home-Based Strength and Balance Retraining Improves Executive Functioning in Older Fallers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008;56:1821-1830.

[18] ¹⁸
Busse AL, Jacob-Filho W, Magaldi RM, et al. Effects of Resistance Training Exercise on Cognitive Performance in Elderly Individuals with Memory Impairment: Results of a Controlled Trial. Einstein 2008;6:402-407.

[19] ¹⁹
Erickson KI, Prakash RS, Voss MW, et al. Aerobic fitness associated with hippocampal volume in elderly humans. Hippocampus 2009; Epub ahead of print.

[20] ²⁰
Colcombe SJ, Kramer AF, Erickson KI, et al. Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2004; 101:3316-3321.

[21] ²¹
Cotman CW, Berchtold NC. Physical activity and the maintenance of cognition: learning from animal models. Alzheimer Dementia 2007;3(S):30-37.

[22] ²²
Farmer J, Zhao X, van Praag H, Wodtke K, Gage FH, and Christie BR. Effects of voluntary exercise on synaptic plasticity and gene expression in the dentate gyrus of adult-male Sprague-Dawley rats in vivo. Neuroscience 2004;124: 71-79.

[23] ²³
Kramer AF, Erickson KI. Effects of physical activity on cognition, well-being, and brain: Human interventions. Alzheimer Dementia 2007;3(S):45-51.

[24] ²⁴
Kraemer WJ, Adams K, Cafarelli E, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002; 34:364-380.

[25] ²⁵
Williams MA, Haskell HL, FAHA, Ades PA, Amsterdam EA, Bittner V, Franklin BA, Gulanick M, Laing ST, Stewart KJ. Resistance Exercise in Individuals with and without Cardiovascular Disease:2007 Update. Circulation 2007;116:572-584.

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