Preventing cognitive decline of the elderly through daily physical activity : A two-year intervention study

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25350709
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental mechanisms and the body works
• Research Institution: Tokyo Denki University
• Principal Investigator: Kimura Ken 東京電機大学, 工学部, 准教授 (60408648)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 身体活動 / 認知機能 / 加齢 / 健康 / 脳

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study conducted a 2-year intervention study to reveal the effects of daily physical activity (PA) on cognitive executive function with a focus on neuro-cognitive mechanisms. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: two intervention groups (Low and Moderate activity), and Control groups. The intervention groups were instructed to spend more time walking daily than they had done previously before the study. The executive function was tested by using a task-switching (TS) test. fMRI assessments were conducted to record neuronal activity of the TS performances. According to the results of the TS tests, there was no indication of age-related decline among the MA+ groups. the MA+ plus group consisting of participants who increased their moderate PA time over 2-year. Moreover, the fMRI assessments demonstrated that the neural activity during the TS was accentuated in the prefrontal cortex which showed task-related activation among MA+ group participants.

Free Research Field

身体運動科学