Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-27gpq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T06:53:20.342Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Physical Activity Is Positively Associated with Episodic Memory in Aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2015

Scott M. Hayes*
Affiliation:
Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts
Michael L. Alosco
Affiliation:
Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts Kent State University, Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent, Ohio
Jasmeet P. Hayes
Affiliation:
National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Margaret Cadden
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Kristina M. Peterson
Affiliation:
Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Kelly Allsup
Affiliation:
Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Daniel E. Forman
Affiliation:
Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Geriatric Cardiology Section, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania
Reisa A. Sperling
Affiliation:
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, MGH Radiology, Charlestown, Massachusetts Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Center of Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Mieke Verfaellie
Affiliation:
Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Scott M. Hayes, Memory Disorders Research Center (151A), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130. E-mail: smhayes@bu.edu

Abstract

Aging is associated with performance reductions in executive function and episodic memory, although there is substantial individual variability in cognition among older adults. One factor that may be positively associated with cognition in aging is physical activity. To date, few studies have objectively assessed physical activity in young and older adults, and examined whether physical activity is differentially associated with cognition in aging. Young (n=29, age 18–31 years) and older adults (n=31, ages 55–82 years) completed standardized neuropsychological testing to assess executive function and episodic memory capacities. An experimental face-name relational memory task was administered to augment assessment of episodic memory. Physical activity (total step count and step rate) was objectively assessed using an accelerometer, and hierarchical regressions were used to evaluate relationships between cognition and physical activity. Older adults performed more poorly on tasks of executive function and episodic memory. Physical activity was positively associated with a composite measure of visual episodic memory and face-name memory accuracy in older adults. Physical activity associations with cognition were independent of sedentary behavior, which was negatively correlated with memory performance. Physical activity was not associated with cognitive performance in younger adults. Physical activity is positively associated with episodic memory performance in aging. The relationship appears to be strongest for face-name relational memory and visual episodic memory, likely attributable to the fact that these tasks make strong demands on the hippocampus. The results suggest that physical activity relates to cognition in older, but not younger adults. (JINS, 2015, 21, 780–790)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barnes, D.E., Blackwell, T., Stone, K.L., Goldman, S.E., Hillier, T., & Yaffe, K. (2008). Cognition in older women: The importance of daytime movement. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 56(9), 16581664. doi:JGS1841 [pii] 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01841.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Benedict, R. (1997). Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised: Professional Manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.Google Scholar
Bherer, L., Erickson, K.I., & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2013). A review of the effects of physical activity and exercise on cognitive and brain functions in older adults. Journal of Aging Research, 2013, 657508. doi:10.1155/2013/657508 Google Scholar
Brown, B.M., Peiffer, J.J., Sohrabi, H.R., Mondal, A., Gupta, V.B., & Rainey-Smith, S.R. (2012). Intense physical activity is associated with cognitive performance in the elderly. Translational Psychiatry, 2, e191. doi:tp2012118 [pii]10.1038/tp.2012.118Google Scholar
Buchman, A.S., Boyle, P.A., Yu, L., Shah, R.C., Wilson, R.S., & Bennett, D.A. (2012). Total daily physical activity and the risk of AD and cognitive decline in older adults. Neurology, 78(17), 13231329. doi:WNL.0b013e3182535d35 [pii]10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182535d35CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buchman, A.S., Wilson, R.S., & Bennett, D.A. (2008). Total daily activity is associated with cognition in older persons. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 16(8), 697701. doi:16/8/697 [pii] 10.1097/JGP.0b013e31817945f6Google Scholar
Caspersen, C.J., Powell, K.E., & Christenson, G.M. (1985). Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: Definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Report, 100(2), 126131.Google Scholar
Colcombe, S., & Kramer, A.F. (2003). Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: A meta-analytic study. Psychological Science, 14(2), 125130. doi:10.1111/1467-9280.t01-1-01430 Google Scholar
Colcombe, S.J., Kramer, A.F., Erickson, K.I., Scalf, P., McAuley, E., & Cohen, N.J. (2004). Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101(9), 33163321.Google Scholar
Cotman, C.W., Berchtold, N.C., & Christie, L.A. (2007). Exercise builds brain health: Key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation. Trends in Neurosciences, 30(9), 464472. doi:10.1016/J.Tins.2007.06.011 Google Scholar
Craft, L.L., Zderic, T.W., Gapstur, S.M., Vaniterson, E.H., Thomas, D.M., & Siddique, J. (2012). Evidence that women meeting physical activity guidelines do not sit less: An observational inclinometry study. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 122. doi:1479-5868-9-122 [pii]10.1186/1479-5868-9-122Google Scholar
Delis, D., Kaplan, E., & Kramer, J. (2001). Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Delis, D., Kramer, J., Kaplan, E., & Ober, B. (2000). California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition: Adult Version. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Coporation.Google Scholar
Freedson, P., Bowles, H.R., Troiano, R., & Haskell, W. (2012). Assessment of physical activity using wearable monitors: Recommendations for monitor calibration and use in the field. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 44(1 Suppl 1), S1S4. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182399b7e 00005768-201201001-00001 [pii]Google Scholar
Freedson, P.S., Melanson, E., & Sirard, J. (1998). Calibration of the Computer Science and Applications, Inc. accelerometer. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 30(5), 777781.Google Scholar
Giovanello, K.S., Verfaellie, M., & Keane, M.M. (2003). Disproportionate deficit in associative recognition relative to item recognition in global amnesia. Cognitive, Affectice and Behavioral Neuroscience, 3(3), 186194. doi:10.3758/CABN.3.3.186 Google Scholar
Goh, J.O., An, Y., & Resnick, S.M. (2012). Differential trajectories of age-related changes in components of executive and memory processes. Psycholog and Aging, 27(3), 707719. doi:2011-30106-001 [pii]10.1037/a0026715.Google Scholar
Haskell, W.L., Lee, I.M., Pate, R.R., Powell, K.E., Blair, S.N., & Franklin, B.A. (2007). Physical activity and public health: Updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39(8), 14231434. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3180616b2700005768-200708000-00027 [pii].Google Scholar
Hayes, S.M., Buchler, N., Stokes, J., Kragel, J., & Cabeza, R. (2011). Neural correlates of confidence during item recognition and source memory retrieval: Evidence for both dual-process and strength memory theories. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23(12), 39593971. doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00086 Google Scholar
Hayes, S.M., Forman, D.E., & Verfaellie, M. (2014). Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with cognitive performance in older but not younger adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences (doi:gbu167 [pii] 10.1093/geronb/gbu167Google Scholar
Hayes, S.M., Hayes, J.P., Cadden, M., & Verfaellie, M. (2013). A review of cardiorespiratory fitness-related neuroplasticity in the aging brain. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 5, 31. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2013.00031 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hayes, S.M., Salat, D.H., Forman, D.E., Sperling, R.A., & Verfaellie, M. (2015). Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with white matter integrity in aging. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 2(6), 688698. doi:10.1002/acn3.204 Google Scholar
Hotting, K., & Roder, B. (2013). Beneficial effects of physical exercise on neuroplasticity and cognition. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(9 Pt B), 22432257. doi:S0149-7634(13)00101-2 [pii]10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.04.005Google Scholar
Moscovitch, M. (1992). Memory and working-with-memory: A component process model based on modules and central systems. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 4(3), 257267. doi:10.1162/jocn.1992.4.3.257 Google Scholar
Naveh-Benjamin, M. (2000). Adult age differences in memory performance: Tests of an associative deficit hypothesis. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 26(5), 11701187. doi:10.1037/0278-7393.26.5.1170 Google Scholar
Nichol, K., Deeny, S.P., Seif, J., Camaclang, K., & Cotman, C.W. (2009). Exercise improves cognition and hippocampal plasticity in APOE epsilon 4 mice. Alzheimers & Dementia, 5(4), 287294. doi:10.1016/J.Jalz.2009.02.006 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Old, S.R., & Naveh-Benjamin, M. (2008). Differential effects of age on item and associative measures of memory: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 23(1), 104118. doi:10.1037/0882-7974.23.1.104|issn 0882-7974Google Scholar
Pescatello, L.S., American College of Sports Medicine (2014). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health.Google Scholar
Prakash, R.S., Voss, M.W., Erickson, K.I., & Kramer, A.F. (2015). Physical activity and cognitive vitality. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 769797. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015249 Google Scholar
Prince, S.A., Adamo, K.B., Hamel, M.E., Hardt, J., Connor Gorber, S., & Tremblay, M. (2008). A comparison of direct versus self-report measures for assessing physical activity in adults: A systematic review. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 56. doi:1479-5868-5-56 [pii] 10.1186/1479-5868-5-56Google Scholar
Reese, C.M., Cherry, K.E., & Norris, L.E. (1999). Practical memory concerns of older adults. Journal of Clinical Geropsychology, 5(4), 231244. doi:10.1023/A:1022984622951 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rzewnicki, R., Vanden Auweele, Y., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I. (2003). Addressing overreporting on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) telephone survey with a population sample. Public Health Nutrition, 6(3), 299305. doi:10.1079/PHN2002427 S1368980003000399 [pii].Google Scholar
Shepard, R.J. (2003). Limits to the measurement of habitual physical activity by questionnaires. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 37, 197206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shimamura, A.P., Berry, J.M., Mangels, J.A., Rusting, C.L., & Jurica, P.J. (1995). Memory and Cognitive-abilities in university professors - Evidence for successful aging. Psychological Science, 6(5), 271277.Google Scholar
Smith, P.J., Blumenthal, J.A., Hoffman, B.M., Cooper, H., Strauman, T.A., & Welsh-Bohmer, K. (2010). Aerobic exercise and neurocognitive performance: A meta-analytic review of randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic Medicine, 72(3), 239252. doi:10.1097/Psy.0b013e3181d14633 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sofi, F., Valecchi, D., Bacci, D., Abbate, R., Gensini, G.F., & Casini, A. (2011). Physical activity and risk of cognitive decline: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Journal of Internal Medicine, 269(1), 107117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02281.x Google Scholar
Sperling, R., Chua, E., Cocchiarella, A., Rand-Giovannetti, E., Poldrack, R., & Schacter, D.L. (2003). Putting names to faces: Successful encoding of associative memories activates the anterior hippocampal formation. Neuroimage, 20(2), 14001410. doi:10.1016/S1053-8119(03)00391-4S1053811903003914 [pii].Google Scholar
Tudor-Locke, C., & Bassett, D.R. Jr. (2004). How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Medicine, 34(1), 18. doi:3411 [pii].Google Scholar
Tudor-Locke, C., & Schuna, J.M. Jr. (2012). Steps to preventing type 2 diabetes: Exercise, walk more, or sit less? Frontiers in Endocrinology (Lausanne), 3, 142. doi:10.3389/fendo.2012.00142 Google Scholar
van Praag, H., Shubert, T., Zhao, C.M., & Gage, F.H. (2005). Exercise enhances learning and hippocampal neurogenesis in aged mice. Journal of Neuroscience, 25(38), 86808685. doi:10.1523/Jneurosci.1731-05-2005 Google Scholar
Vaynman, S., & Gomez-Pinilla, F. (2006). Revenge of the “sit”: How lifestyle impacts neuronal and cognitive health through molecular systems that interface energy metabolism with neuronal plasticity. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 84(4), 699715. doi:10.1002/jnr.20979 Google Scholar
Voss, M.W., Carr, L.J., Clark, R., & Weng, T. (2014). Revenge of the “sit” II: Does lifestyle impact neuronal and cognitive health through distinct mechanisms associated with sedentary behavior and physical activity? Mental Health and Physical Activity. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2014.01.001 Google Scholar
Voss, M.W., Vivar, C., Kramer, A.F., & van Praag, H. (2013). Bridging animal and human models of exercise-induced brain plasticity. Trends in Cognitive Science, 17(10), 525544. doi:S1364-6613(13)00166-6 [pii]10.1016/j.tics.2013.08.001.Google Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1997). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1997). Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Wilbur, J., Marquez, D.X., Fogg, L., Wilson, R.S., Staffileno, B.A., & Hoyem, R.L. (2012). The relationship between physical activity and cognition in older Latinos. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67(5), 525534. doi:gbr137 [pii]10.1093/geronb/gbr137Google Scholar