Journal article
Aerobic fitness is associated with hippocampal volume in elderly humans
Hippocampus, Vol.19(10), pp.1030-1039
10/2009
DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20547
PMCID: PMC3072565
PMID: 19123237
Abstract
Deterioration of the hippocampus occurs in elderly individuals with and without dementia, yet individual variation exists in the degree and rate of hippocampal decay. Determining the factors that influence individual variation in the magnitude and rate of hippocampal decay may help promote lifestyle changes that prevent such deterioration from taking place. Aerobic fitness and exercise are effective at preventing cortical decay and cognitive impairment in older adults and epidemiological studies suggest that physical activity can reduce the risk for developing dementia. However, the relationship between aerobic fitness and hippocampal volume in elderly humans is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether individuals with higher levels of aerobic fitness displayed greater volume of the hippocampus and better spatial memory performance than individuals with lower fitness levels. Furthermore, in exploratory analyses, we assessed whether hippocampal volume mediated the relationship between fitness and spatial memory. Using a region-of-interest analysis on magnetic resonance images in 165 nondemented older adults, we found a triple association such that higher fitness levels were associated with larger left and right hippocampi after controlling for age, sex, and years of education, and larger hippocampi and higher fitness levels were correlated with better spatial memory performance. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hippocampal volume partially mediated the relationship between higher fitness levels and enhanced spatial memory. Our results clearly indicate that higher levels of aerobic fitness are associated with increased hippocampal volume in older humans, which translates to better memory function.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Aerobic fitness is associated with hippocampal volume in elderly humans
- Creators
- Kirk I Erickson - Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA. kiericks@pitt.eduRuchika S PrakashMichelle W VossLaura ChaddockLiang HuKatherine S MorrisSiobhan M WhiteThomas R WójcickiEdward McAuleyArthur F Kramer
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Hippocampus, Vol.19(10), pp.1030-1039
- DOI
- 10.1002/hipo.20547
- PMID
- 19123237
- PMCID
- PMC3072565
- NLM abbreviation
- Hippocampus
- ISSN
- 1098-1063
- eISSN
- 1098-1063
- Publisher
- United States
- Grant note
- P30 AG024827 / NIA NIH HHS R37 AG025667 / NIA NIH HHS R37 AG025667-01 / NIA NIH HHS R01 AG025302 / NIA NIH HHS R01 AG025667 / NIA NIH HHS R01 AG25667 / NIA NIH HHS R01 AG25302 / NIA NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/2009
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984002488102771
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