Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging
Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.0400266101
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发表时间：
2004-03-02
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Elavsky, S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Colcombe, SJ;Kramer, AF;Elavsky, S
心血管健康被认为可以抵消认知能力的下降，但对人类这些变化背后的皮质机制知之甚少。使用动物模型的研究表明，有氧训练增加了皮层毛细血管供应，突触连接的数量和新神经元的发育。最终的结果是一个更有效率，更有可塑性和适应性的大脑，这转化为老龄动物更好的表现。在这里，在两个独立的实验中，我们第一次证明了我们的知识，在人类中，心血管健康的增加会导致大脑注意力网络的关键方面在认知挑战性任务中的功能增加。具体来说，高度适合（研究1）或有氧训练（研究2）的人表现出更大的任务相关的活动，在前额叶和顶叶皮质的区域，参与空间选择和抑制功能，与低适合（研究1）或非有氧控制（研究2）的参与者相比。此外，在这两项研究中，前扣带皮层的激活存在组间差异，前扣带皮层被认为是监测注意力系统中的冲突，并发出注意力网络需要适应的信号。这些数据表明，心血管健康的增加可以影响衰老人类大脑可塑性的改善，并可能有助于减少人类的生物和认知衰老。
Cardiovascular fitness is thought to offset declines in cognitive performance, but little is known about the cortical mechanisms that underlie these changes in humans. Research using animal models shows that aerobic training increases cortical capillary supplies, the number of synaptic connections, and the development of new neurons. The end result is a brain that is more efficient, plastic, and adaptive, which translates into better performance in aging animals. Here, in two separate experiments, we demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge, in humans that increases in cardiovascular fitness results in increased functioning of key aspects of the attentional network of the brain during a cognitively challenging task. Specifically, highly fit (Study 1) or aerobically trained (Study 2) persons show greater task-related activity in regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortices that are involved in spatial selection and inhibitory functioning, when compared with low-fit (Study 1) or nonaerobic control (Study 2) participants. Additionally, in both studies there exist groupwise differences in activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, which is thought to monitor for conflict in the attentional system, and signal the need for adaptation in the attentional network. These data suggest that increased cardiovascular fitness can affect improvements in the plasticity of the aging human brain, and may serve to reduce both biological and cognitive senescence in humans.