White matter microstructure mediates the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive performance in older adults.

Emma M Tinney, Aaron E L Warren, Amanda O'Brien, Hannah Odom, Meishan Ai, Bradley P Sutton, Shivangi Jain, Chaeryon Kang, Haiqing Huang, Lu Wan, Lauren E Oberlin, George Grove, John M Jakicic, Audrey M Collins, Kelsey R Sewell, Jeffrey M Burns, Eric D Vidoni, Edward McAuley, Arthur F Kramer, Kirk I Erickson, Charles H Hillman

Department of Psychology Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts USA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Age-related cognitive decline occurs, in part, due to diminishing white matter integrity. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with better cognitive performance, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association remain uncertain. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have suggested that CRF-related changes in white matter microstructure might prevent or slow age-related cognitive decline, but have been limited by small sample sizes and methodological limitations. Specifically, most prior studies used tensor-based diffusion-weighted MRI metrics, which are insensitive to complex white matter architectures, including crossing fibers.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with better cognitive performance in older adults through the mediation of white matter microstructure. This study addresses the neurobiological mechanisms linking fitness and cognitive decline, which is pertinent to understanding and potentially mitigating age-related cognitive deterioration.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.