Aging, Physical activity, Aerobic Aging, Physical activity, Aerobic fitness, and cognitive performance: fitness, and cognitive performance:

a complex relationshipa complex relationship

Cédric ALBINET, Geoffroy BOUCARD, Cédric BOUQUET, & Michel AUDIFFREN

Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage

University of Poitiers - CNRS, France

a complex relationshipa complex relationship

Cognitive aging and Exercise

• Aging impairs cognitive performance (Birren & Schaie,

2006; Craik & Salthouse, 2007).2006; Craik & Salthouse, 2007).

• Physical exercise may moderate or delay

cognitive aging (Angevaren et al., 2008; Spirduso et al., 2008).

• Particularly:

– On effortful attentional processes such as Executive

Functions (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003)Functions (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003)

– Aerobic exercise (Kramer et al., 1999; Etnier et al., 2006)

– More important for older than young…but… (Colcombe &

Kramer, 2003; Etnier et al., 1997)

Questions

• Executive Functions (EF) is not a unitary construct • Executive Functions (EF) is not a unitary construct (Miyake et al., 2000; Fisk & Sharp, 2004).

Inhibition Updating Shifting

Is the exercise/fitness effect the same for all EF ?

• Is physical exercise or cardiovascular fitness the • Is physical exercise or cardiovascular fitness the

most important ? (Kramer et al., 2002; Smiley-Oyen et al., 2008)

• Is this effect the same between 20 and 80 years ?

Time course of the study

Step 1: interview –

Older adults(60-82 years)

Younger adults(18-30 years)

87Step 1: interview –inclusion criteria

Step 2: medical certificate of physician

Step 3: evaluation of physical fitness and

108

107

87

87

86physical fitness and activity

Step 4: cognitive evaluation + energy

expenditure

93

6060

86

6363

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

Time course of the study

Step 1: interview –

Older adults(60-82 years)

Younger adults(18-30 years)

87

Global cognitive and demographic statusStep 1: interview –

inclusion criteria

Step 2: medical certificate of physician

Step 3: evaluation of physical fitness and

108

107

87

87

86

demographic status

�MMSE (>26)

�Vocabulary

�Education

�DSST (WAIS III)

�processing speed (XO)physical fitness and activity

Step 4: cognitive evaluation + energy

expenditure

93

6060

86

6363

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

�processing speed (XO)

�Depression (GDS and HADS)

Time course of the study

Step 1: interview –

Older adults(60-82 years)

Younger adults(18-30 years)

87

Global cognitive and demographic statusActivity and physical

fitness variablesStep 1: interview –inclusion criteria

Step 2: medical certificate of physician

Step 3: evaluation of physical fitness and

108

107

87

87

86

demographic status

�MMSE (>26)

�Vocabulary

�Education

�DSST (WAIS III)

�processing speed (XO)

fitness variables

� DPAScore (max = 30)

Robert et al., 2004

� VO2max (Rockport 1 mile)

Kline et al., 1987physical fitness and activity

Step 4: cognitive evaluation + energy

expenditure

93

6060

86

6363

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

�processing speed (XO)

�Depression (GDS and HADS)

2max

Kline et al., 1987

Time course of the study

Step 1: interview –

Older adults(60-82 years)

Younger adults(18-30 years)

87

Global cognitive and demographic statusActivity and physical

fitness variables

Physical evaluation

Step 1: interview –inclusion criteria

Step 2: medical certificate of physician

Step 3: evaluation of physical fitness and

108

107

87

87

86

demographic status

�MMSE (>26)

�Vocabulary

�Education

�DSST (WAIS III)

�processing speed (XO)

fitness variables

� DPAScore (max = 30)

Robert et al., 2004

� VO2max (Rockport 1 mile)

Kline et al., 1987

� HLAQ (METS/h/wk)Kriska et al., 1990; Ainsworth, 2000

� Energy expenditure (ActiGraph

GT1M: Counts/min; – Time in MVPA)

Cognitive evaluationphysical fitness and

activity

Step 4: cognitive evaluation + energy

expenditure

93

6060

86

6363

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

Median split of DPAS + VO2max

in each Age-Gender group.

�processing speed (XO)

�Depression (GDS and HADS)

2max

Kline et al., 1987Cognitive evaluation

� Evaluation of Executive Functions:9 experimental tasks

Young18-30 years

Young-Old60-70 years

Old-Old71-82 years

Fit Unfit Fit Unfit Fit Unfit

Characteristics of the participants

Fit(33)

Unfit(30)

Fit(15)

Unfit(15)

Fit(15)

Unfit(15)

Gender M / F 15/18 15/15 7/8 7/8 7/8 7/8

Age (years)a 22,08 21,75 65,40 67,13 73,47 75,33

BMI (kg/m²) ab 21,38 23,40 22,73 28,26 23,51 26,99

VO2max (ml/kg/min)ab 49,45 42,83 32,37 22,69 26,44 18,09

VO2max category Shvartz & Reibold (1990)

Good/

Very goodAverage Very Good Poor/Fair

Good/

Very good

Poor/

Very poorShvartz & Reibold (1990) Very good Very good Very poor

DPAScore (max. = 30)abc 24,70 12,37* 24,13 19,00 24,07 17,80

HLAQ (METs/h/week) abc 46,75* 17,45 14,07 9,46 17,90 5,22

Time in MVPA (min) ab 71,52 42,00 70,80 54,80 45,31 22,79

Counts/minab 454,80 285,59 489,91 376,56 345,74 239,45

a: general effect of Age group; b: general effect of Exercise group; c: Age group X Exercise group interaction

Evaluation of Executive Functions3 EF (Miyake et al., 2000; Fisk & Sharp, 2004)

�Inhibition

�Stroop taskMean of z scores =

�Simon task

�RNG task

�Updating

�Verbal running span

�Spatial running span

�N-back task

Mean of z scores =

Inhibition score

Mean of z scores =

Updating score�N-back task

�Shifting

�Number/Letter task

�Plus/Minus task

�Switching task

Mean of z scores =

Shifting score

Results for each Executive Function

-0,5

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

Z s

co

re

Updating

Fit

Unfit

1,5 Inhibition n.s.

Age group X Exercise group interaction, p<.005.

-1,5

-1,0

Young Young-Old Old-Old

-1,5

-1,0

-0,5

0,0

0,5

1,0

Z s

co

re

Fit

Unfit

0,5

1,0

1,5 Shifting*

Age group X Exercise group interaction, p<.005.

Main effect of Age group, p<.005.

-1,5Young Young-Old Old-Old

-1,5

-1,0

-0,5

0,0

0,5

Young Young-Old Old-Old

Z s

co

re

Fit

Unfit

Best Predictor(s) of Inhibition

• For the Old-old group: Stepwise forward regression

analysis on Inhibition score, using DPAS and VO2max as analysis on Inhibition score, using DPAS and VO2max as

predictors.

Predictor R² R² change Standardized β p

VO2max .463 .463 .516 <.0001

DPAS .501 .039 .256 .16DPAS .501 .039 .256 .16

Results were the same when we entered also all the other physical activity predictors.

Conclusion

� Specific effect of Aerobic Fitness on Inhibition�Confirms the heterogeneity of EF(Miyake et al., 2000; Fisk &

Sharp, 2004).

�Different brain regions for different EF(Colette et al., 2006).

� Aerobic fitness (VO2max) is a better predictor than regular physical activity (present and past).

� Agrees with Kramer et al. (1999;2002) – disagrees with

Etnier et al. (2006), Smiley-Oyen et al. (2008).Etnier et al. (2006), Smiley-Oyen et al. (2008).

� Different dynamical patterns between cross-sectional

and interventional studies?

�The effect is only significant for the Older-old group

Thank-you for your attentionattention