Week 10: Physical Activity as an Intervention

Question 1

what happens in the brain as we age?

Answer 1

• increased plaques and tangles
• blood vessels thicken and stiffen
• decreased blood flow
• atrophies

Question 2

physical activity…

Answer 2

• decreases all-cause mortality
• decreases risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
• decreases risk of breast cancer
• decreases risk of fractures
• prevents decline in ability to do ADLs and IADLs
• prevents/postpones disabilities and functional limitations
• positively associated with quality of life outcomes
• reduces risk of incident depression
• reduces risk of cognitive decline

Question 3

within enriched environments, physical activity is considered a key trigger for _____

Answer 3

neurogenesis

Question 4

physical activity is associated with nearly a __% reduced risk of experiencing cognitive decline

Answer 4

40

Question 5

what does animal research show (physical activity on brain health)?

Answer 5

• physical activity influences the integrity of the hippocampus
• widespread effects across the brain

Question 6

what does human research show (physical activity and brain structure)?

Answer 6

• increased physical activity is associated with larger gray matter volumes
• increased physical activity is associated with increased neural efficiency

Question 7

T or F: physical activity at any age is protective against age-related decline

Answer 7

TRUE

Question 8

studies show that physical activity improves…

Answer 8

• executive functions
• attention
• processing speed
• working memory
• episodic memory

Question 9

Ghreyson et al., 2018

larger effects were found for _____ vs control and physical activity interventions alone

Answer 9

combined physical activity with cognitive activity

Question 10

Ghreyson et al., 2018

gains in cognition can be expected following combined (PA & CA) interventions for both _____ and _____

Answer 10

cognitively healthy, mildly impaired older adults

Question 11

TB: what is an example of a mentally challenging physical activity for an older adult?

Answer 11

• learning a new sport
• learning new routes for neighborhood walks
• dance
• tai-chi
• yoga
• geocaching

Question 12

adults performing greater amounts of _____ experience less anxiety and depression-like symptoms

Answer 12

physical activity

Question 13

TB: what are some barriers that older adults may face when wanting to increase physical activity in their life?

Answer 13

• fear of falling
• financial barriers
• built environment
• stereotypes
• gender
• culture/religion
• depression (motivation)
• low self-efficacy
• time
• social support
• awareness

Question 14

Colcombe et al., 2004:
physical activity

primary research question?

Answer 14

does level of cardiac fitness correspond with efficiency in functional brain networks during cognitive task performance?

Question 15

Colcombe et al., 2004:
physical activity

methods?

Answer 15

study 1:

• cross-sectional observational
• participants divided into low vs high fitness
• 1 mile walk test

study 2:

• participants randomly assigned to CVF program or stretching/toning group
• 6 month programs
• treadmill test (O2)

measures included:

• flanker task
• reaction time
• incongruent vs congruent

Question 16

Colcombe et al., 2004:
physical activity

results?

Answer 16

in study 1 & 2, high-fit participants & aerobic training participants:

• showed less interference from incongruent stimuli
• brain activity greater in executive control regions (frontal & parietal) and lower in error monitoring regions (ACC)

Question 17

Colcombe et al., 2004:
physical activity

discussion?

Answer 17

• CFT associated with increased brain activity for executive control and decreased activity for error monitoring
• strong empirical evidence that fitness can improve executive control

Question 18

Colcombe et al., 2004:
physical activity

cautions?

Answer 18

• are differences attributable to increased blood flow or circulatory changes that impact brain measures?
• is there an optimal level of fitness?
• could these effects be mediated through mood changes?

Question 19

TB: how are the flanker task and stroop task similar?

Answer 19

• include congruent vs incongruent tasks
• measures of interference (distraction) to slow you down
• measures of executive functioning

Question 20

Boyke et al., 2008:
physical activity

primary research question?

Answer 20

given that brain and behavioural changes are known to occur in older adults, can structural neuroplasticity be demonstrated in this population?

Question 21

Boyke et al., 2008:
physical activity

methods?

Answer 21

• two groups: juggling (learn to juggle 3 balls in 3 months) vs control
• proficient if could juggle for 60 seconds continuously
• measured pre & post intervention and months later through
• measured gray matter volume through brain scans

Question 22

Boyke et al., 2008:
physical activity

results?

Answer 22

• transient increases in gray matter identified for juggling group (main effect)
• transient increases in jugglers vs controls (interaction)

Question 23

Boyke et al., 2008:
physical activity

discussion?

Answer 23

• older adults demonstrated structural neuroplasticity

- effects occurred even though older adults did not attain the same level of juggling proficiency as young adults

Question 24

Boyke et al., 2008:
physical activity

cautions?

Answer 24

• neurogenesis unlikely to be detectable using brain imaging

Question 25

TB: what other factors could contribute to exercise’s benefit to cognition in older adults?

Answer 25

• self-efficacy and confidence
• social community
• help to cope with stress
• help with sleep
• improving energy levels