Poster No:
917
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Svenja Schwarck1, Jose Bernal2, David Berron3, Hannah Baumeister4, Helena Gellersen3, Marcel Daamen5, Anne Maass6, Gabriel Ziegler6, Henning Boecker7, Emrah Düzel3
Institutions:
1IKND, Magdeburg, Germany, 2German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany, 3German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, 4German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany, 5University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, NRW, 6German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany, 7Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, NRW
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Jose Bernal
German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
Magdeburg, Germany
David Berron
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt
Helena Gellersen
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt
Anne Maass
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
Magdeburg, Germany
Gabriel Ziegler
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
Magdeburg, Germany
Henning Boecker
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn
Bonn, NRW
Emrah Düzel
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt
Introduction:
Metabolic syndrome affects 20–35% of adults globally, with prevalence increasing due to rising rates of obesity and diabetes (Moore et al., 2017). Elevated metabolic risk is linked to impaired cardiovascular health and an increased likelihood of developing dementia (Duzel et al., 2016). Although aerobic exercise is known to reduce metabolic risk factors and enhance brain health and cognitive performance (Ostman et al., 2017; Erickson et al., 2022), comprehensive studies on its effects on cognition, biomarkers, and brain structure in older adults with metabolic risk factors remain limited (Zhao et al., 2018). Comprehensive brain assessments, including hippocampal volume, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and perivascular spaces (PVS), are critical as these markers reflect neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular dysfunction, worsened by metabolic risks.
Methods:
Thirty-five sedentary older adults (67.8 ± 2.6 years; 12 female) with at least one metabolic risk factor according to NCEP (2001) were pseudo-randomly assigned to a 4-month dual-task training (n = 17) or control (n = 18) group.
Comparison between groups: pre and post comparisons within and between groups included neuropsychological tests, metabolic measures, blood biomarkers, spiroergometry (aerobic capacity), and MRI-based brain morphology. Whole hippocampal volumes were estimated using T2-ASHS longitudinal segmentation (3T TSE, 0.39x0.39x2.0 mm), gray matter volumes analyzed with CAT12 in SPM12, WMH extracted from T1-weighted MRI images (3T MPRAGE, 1.0x1.0x1.0 mm), and PVS segmented with a validated pipeline. All volumes were corrected for intracranial volume. Linear mixed-effects models (LME) with random intercepts were used to test time × group interaction effects for each outcome.
Effects of dual-task training: The training group engaged in 40 sessions of light-to-moderate intensity aerobic exercise combined with picture recognition memory training. The training group's performance on physical and memory recognition tasks, as well as dual-task performance of both groups, was analyzed with LME modelling (random intercept and slope). All models included age, sex, and years of education as covariates. Dual-task tests were conducted at baseline, 2 months, and post-intervention for both groups.
Results:
At baseline, no significant differences were observed between groups in metabolic risk factors, cognitive performance, aerobic capacity, or brain outcomes (p > .05). Over time, a significant interaction for total and left hippocampal volume (ß = 138.59, SE = 41.31, p = .001) was found: the control group showed a reduction in left hippocampal volume (ß = -93.93, SE = 28.05, p = .001), while the training group exhibited an increase (ß = 59.51, SE = 27.33, p = .044). No changes were observed in other brain outcomes (e.g., WMH, PVS), cognitive performance, metabolic risk factors, blood biomarkers, or aerobic capacity. The dual-task analysis showed that the physical fitness (ß = 0.002, SE = 0.001, p < .001) and recognition memory performance (ß = -0.004, SE = 0.001, p < .001) of the training group increased over training time.
Conclusions:
Forty sessions of combined aerobic exercise and cognitive training improved physical fitness and memory recognition performance in the training group. However, compared to the control group, no significant changes in cognitive performance, WMH, PVS, or blood biomarkers (e.g., α-Klotho, BDNF) were observed. The intervention's duration (4 months) and intensity (light-to-moderate) may have been insufficient for measurable changes in these areas. Nonetheless, the training group showed an increase in left hippocampal volume, suggesting a potential neuroprotective effect, with the hippocampus serving as an early marker of brain health despite unchanged outcomes in other measures.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Neurodegenerative/ Late Life (eg. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s)
Learning and Memory:
Neural Plasticity and Recovery of Function 2
Lifespan Development:
Aging 1
Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:
Cortical Anatomy and Brain Mapping
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
Anatomical MRI
Keywords:
Aging
Cognition
Plasticity
STRUCTURAL MRI
Sub-Cortical
White Matter
Other - Exercise intervention
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
Healthy subjects
Was this research conducted in the United States?
No
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel?
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Yes
Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel?
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Not applicable
Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
Structural MRI
Neuropsychological testing
For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?
3.0T
Which processing packages did you use for your study?
SPM
Free Surfer
Provide references using APA citation style.
Duzel, E, (2016), ‘Can physical exercise in old age improve memory and hippocampal function?’, Brain, vol. 139, no. 3, pp. 662-73. doi: 10.1093/brain/awv407.
Erickson, K. I., Donofry, S. D., Sewell, K. R., Brown, B. M., & Stillman, C. M. (2022). Cognitive Aging and the Promise of Physical Activity. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 18(1), 417–442. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072720-014213
Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and T. of H. B. C. in A. (2001). Executive Summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(19), 2486–2497. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.19.2486
Moore, J. X., Chaudhary, N., & Akinyemiju, T. (2017). Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence by Race/Ethnicity and Sex in the United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–2012. Preventing Chronic Disease, 14, 160287. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.160287
Ostman, C., Smart, N. A., Morcos, D., Duller, A., Ridley, W., & Jewiss, D. (2017). The effect of exercise training on clinical outcomes in patients with the metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cardiovascular Diabetology, 16(1), 110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12933-017-0590-y
Zhao, R.R., O’Sullivan, A.J. & Fiatarone Singh, M.A (2018), Exercise or physical activity and cognitive function in adults with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance: a systematic review. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act, 15, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-018-0190-1
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