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Abstract

Objectives:

Physical activity (PA) has been hypothesized to spare gray matter volume in late adulthood, but longitudinal data testing an association has been lacking. Here we tested whether PA would be associated with greater gray matter volume after a 9-year follow-up, a threshold could be identified for the amount of walking necessary to spare gray matter volume, and greater gray matter volume associated with PA would be associated with a reduced risk for cognitive impairment 13 years after the PA evaluation.

Methods:

In 299 adults (mean age 78 years) from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study, we examined the association between gray matter volume, PA, and cognitive impairment. Physical activity was quantified as the number of blocks walked over 1 week. High-resolution brain scans were acquired 9 years after the PA assessment on cognitively normal adults. White matter hyperintensities, ventricular grade, and other health variables at baseline were used as covariates. Clinical adjudication for cognitive impairment occurred 13 years after baseline.

Results:

Walking amounts ranged from 0 to 300 blocks (mean 56.3; SD 69.7). Greater PA predicted greater volumes of frontal, occipital, entorhinal, and hippocampal regions 9 years later. Walking 72 blocks was necessary to detect increased gray matter volume but walking more than 72 blocks did not spare additional volume. Greater gray matter volume with PA reduced the risk for cognitive impairment 2-fold.

Conclusion:

Greater amounts of walking are associated with greater gray matter volume, which is in turn associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment.

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Supplementary Material

File (appendix_e-1.doc)
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COINVESTIGATORS

Jean Olson, MD, MPH (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Project Office), Richard Kronmal, PhD (University of Washington, CHS Coordinating Center), John Robbins, MD, MHS (University of California, Davis, CHS Field Center), Paulo H. Chaves, MD, PhD (The Johns Hopkins University), Linda P. Fried (The Johns Hopkins University, CHS Field Center), Gregory Burke, MD (Wake Forest University School of Medicine, CHS Field Center), Russell Tracy, PhD (University of Vermont, CHS Collaborating Center), John Gottdiener, MD (University of Maryland, CHS Collaborating Center), Richard Prineas, MD, PhD (Wake Forest University School of Medicine, CHS Collaborating Center), Paul Enright, MD (University of Arizona, CHS Collaborating Center), Ronald Klein, MD (University of Wisconsin, CHS Collaborating Center), Daniel H. O'Leary, MD (Tufts New England Medical Center, CHS Collaborating Center).

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Neurology®
Volume 75Number 16October 19, 2010
Pages: 1415-1422
PubMed: 20944075

Publication History

Received: March 15, 2010
Accepted: July 22, 2010
Published online: October 13, 2010
Published in print: October 19, 2010

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Disclosure

Dr. Erickson reports no disclosures. Dr. Raji receives research support from the American Heart Association. Dr. Lopez has served on scientific advisory boards for Pfizer Inc., Eisai Inc., and Bristol-Myers Squibb; and receives research support from the NIH (NIA P50 AG05133-24 [PI], AG20098-07 [PI], and NCCAM 5 U01 AT00162-08 [PI]). Dr. Becker serves on a scientific advisory board for and has received funding for travel from Fundacio ACE; serves on the editorial board of AIDS; and receives research support from the NIH (U01AI035041 [co-I], R03MH081723 [PI], R03MH081721 [PI], R03DA025986 [PI], P01AG05133 [co-PI], R01AG20098 [co-I], and R01MH072947 [co-I]) and the Fulbright Commission. Dr. Rosano receives research support from the NIH (RO1 AG29232 [co-I] and RO1 AG031118 [co-I]). Dr. Newman serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Gerontology Medical Sciences and receives research support from the NIH (R01-AG-029824 [PI], U01-AG-022376 [PI], RC2-AG-036594 [PI], U01 AG023744 [PI], R01 AG023629 [PI], N01 AG62101 [PI], N01 AR12262 [co-I], R01 AG028050 [co-I], R01 AG29232 [co-I], R01-AG-03073 [co-I], R01-HS-017695 [co-I], R01-AG-034056 [co-I], and P30 AG024827 [co-I]). Dr. Gach receives research support from the US Department of Defense and the NIH (R01 AG20098 [co-I]). Dr. Thompson serves on editorial advisory boards for IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, Human Brain Mapping, Medical Image Analysis, Cerebral Cortex, Current Medical Imaging Reviews, Inverse Problems and Imaging, and Translational Neuroscience; and receives research support from the NIH (R01 EB008432 [PI], NIBIB R01 EB008281 [PI], NIBIB R01 EB007813 [PI], R01 HD050735 [Subcontract PI], RC2 AG036535 [Subcontract PI], NCRR U54 RR021813 [Project PI], NCRR P41 RR013642 [Project PI], and R01 AG020098 [Subcontract PI]). A.J. Ho and Dr. Kuller report no disclosures.

Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

K.I. Erickson, PhD*
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
C.A. Raji, PhD*
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
O.L. Lopez, MD
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
J.T. Becker, PhD
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
C. Rosano, MD, MPH
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
A.B. Newman, MD, MPH
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
H.M. Gach, PhD
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
P.M. Thompson, PhD
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
A.J. Ho, BS
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.
L.H. Kuller, MD, DrPh
From the Departments of Psychology (K.I.E., J.T.B.), Pathology (C.A.R.), Radiology (C.A.R., H.M.G.), Neurology (O.L.L., J.T.B.), and Epidemiology (C.R., A.B.N., L.H.K.), and Western Psychiatric Institute (J.T.B.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Nevada Cancer Institute (H.M.G.), University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Department of Neurology (P.M.T., A.J.H.), University of California, Los Angeles.

Notes

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Kirk I. Erickson, Department of Psychology, 3107 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260 [email protected]
*
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Study funding: Supported by the National Institute on Aging AG-023629. C.H.S. was supported by contract numbers N01-HC-85079 through N01-HC-85086, N01-HC-35129, N01 HC-15103, N01 HC-55222, N01-HC-75150, N01-HC-45133, and grant number U01 HL080295 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, with additional contribution from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Additional support was provided through R01 AG-15928, R01 AG-20098, and AG-027058 from the National Institute on Aging, R01 HL-075366 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the University of Pittsburgh Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center P30-AG-024827 and an American Heart Association predoctoral grant to C.A.R. (0815465D).

Author Contributions

Statistical analysis was conducted by Dr. Erickson and Dr. Raji.

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