Changes in cardiovascular health and white matter integrity with aerobic exercise, cognitive and combined training in physically inactive healthy late-middle-aged adults: the "Projecte Moviment" randomized controlled trial

Introduction This is a 12-weeks randomized controlled trial examining the effects of aerobic exercise (AE), computerized cognitive training ( CCT) and their combination (COMB). We aim to investigate their impact on cardiovascular health and white matter (WM) integrity and how they contribute to the...

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Authors: Roig-Coll F; Castells-Sánchez A; Monté-Rubio G; Dacosta-Aguayo R; Lamonja-Vicente N; Torán-Monserrat P; Pere G; García-Molina A; Tormos JM; Alzamora MT; Stavros D; Sánchez-Ceron M; Via M; Erickson KI; Mataró M
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Fundació Sant Joan de Déu
Repository:r-FSJD. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica de la Fundació Sant Joan de Déu
OAI Identifier:oai:fsjd.fundanetsuite.com:p24644
Online Access:https://fsjd.fundanetsuite.com/Publicaciones/ProdCientif/PublicacionFrw.aspx?id=24644
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Aerobic exercise
Computerized cognitive training
Combined training
Cardiovascular health
White matter integrity
Description
Summary:Introduction This is a 12-weeks randomized controlled trial examining the effects of aerobic exercise (AE), computerized cognitive training ( CCT) and their combination (COMB). We aim to investigate their impact on cardiovascular health and white matter (WM) integrity and how they contribute to the cognitive benefits. Methods 109 participants were recruited and 82 (62% female; age = 58.38 +/- 5.47) finished the intervention with > 80% adherence. We report changes in cardiovascular risk factors and WM integrity (fractional anisotropy (FA); mean diffusivity (MD)), how they might be related to changes in physical activity, age and sex, and their potential role as mediators in cognitive improvements. Results A decrease in BMI (SMD = - 0.32, p = 0.039), waist circumference (SMD = - 0.42, p = 0.003) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (SMD = - 0.42, p = 0.006) in the AE group and a decrease in BMI (SMD = - 0.34, p = 0.031) and DBP (SMD = - 0.32, p = 0.034) in the COMB group compared to the waitlist control group was observed. We also found decreased global MD in the CCT group (SMD = - 0.34; p = 0.032) and significant intervention-related changes in FA and MD in the frontal and temporal lobes in the COMB group. Conclusions We found changes in anthropometric measures that suggest initial benefits on cardiovascular health after only 12 weeks of AE and changes in WM microstructure in the CCT and COMB groups. These results add evidence of the clinical relevance of lifestyle interventions and the potential benefits when combining them.