Document Detail


Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21282661     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The hippocampus shrinks in late adulthood, leading to impaired memory and increased risk for dementia. Hippocampal and medial temporal lobe volumes are larger in higher-fit adults, and physical activity training increases hippocampal perfusion, but the extent to which aerobic exercise training can modify hippocampal volume in late adulthood remains unknown. Here we show, in a randomized controlled trial with 120 older adults, that aerobic exercise training increases the size of the anterior hippocampus, leading to improvements in spatial memory. Exercise training increased hippocampal volume by 2%, effectively reversing age-related loss in volume by 1 to 2 y. We also demonstrate that increased hippocampal volume is associated with greater serum levels of BDNF, a mediator of neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. Hippocampal volume declined in the control group, but higher preintervention fitness partially attenuated the decline, suggesting that fitness protects against volume loss. Caudate nucleus and thalamus volumes were unaffected by the intervention. These theoretically important findings indicate that aerobic exercise training is effective at reversing hippocampal volume loss in late adulthood, which is accompanied by improved memory function.
Authors:
Kirk I Erickson; Michelle W Voss; Ruchika Shaurya Prakash; Chandramallika Basak; Amanda Szabo; Laura Chaddock; Jennifer S Kim; Susie Heo; Heloisa Alves; Siobhan M White; Thomas R Wojcicki; Emily Mailey; Victoria J Vieira; Stephen A Martin; Brandt D Pence; Jeffrey A Woods; Edward McAuley; Arthur F Kramer
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural     Date:  2011-01-31
Journal Detail:
Title:  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America     Volume:  108     ISSN:  1091-6490     ISO Abbreviation:  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.     Publication Date:  2011 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-02-17     Completed Date:  2011-04-14     Revised Date:  2012-04-16    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7505876     Medline TA:  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  3017-22     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Aged
Aging / physiology*
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / blood
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Exercise / physiology*
Hippocampus / anatomy & histology*,  physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Memory / physiology*
Middle Aged
Organ Size
Space Perception / physiology*
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
P30 AG024827/AG/NIA NIH HHS; P50 AG005133/AG/NIA NIH HHS; R01 AG25032/AG/NIA NIH HHS; R01 AG25667/AG/NIA NIH HHS; R37 AG025667-07/AG/NIA NIH HHS; R37 AG025667-08/AG/NIA NIH HHS
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 3;108(18):E89; author reply E90   [PMID:  21504947 ]
Mov Disord. 2011 Mar;26(4):607   [PMID:  21506145 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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