Using a Novel Measure of Brain Structure to Investigate the Protective Effects of Physical Activity against Cognitive Decline

Abstract

Dementia is a growing challenge to our society. Research suggests a number of modifiable factors are associated with the risk of developing this condition. One such modifiable factor is physical activity. Physical activity has been associated with both brain structure and cognition. Further evidence suggests an association between brain structure and cognition. While the majority of neuroimaging studies have used volumetric MRI measures to examine brain structure, an emerging alternative is to examine cortical sulcal characteristics. This study sought to determine how sulcal characteristics relate to physical activity and cognition. A final sample of 320 participants aged between 64 and 70 years were selected from an observational study of lifestyle factors including MRI and cognitive data. The results presented here indicate that physical activity predicts differences in sulcal structure. Width of the left superior frontal sulcus, negatively correlated with physical activity, was associated with improved processing speed and executive function. These findings are consistent with the literature showing that physical activity is beneficial in preventing against cognitive decline and provides important information about the usefulness of sulcal characteristics in the investigation of cerebral and cognitive health. Show more