Aerobic Exercise, Neurotrophins, and fMRI of Hippocampal Function and Structure

有氧运动、神经营养素以及海马功能和结构的功能磁共振成像

• 批准号: 8043800
• 负责人: Karin Schon
• 金额: $ 8.99万
• 依托单位: BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-30 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8043800
• 关键词: Aerobic; Exercise; Neurotrophins; fMRI; Hippocampal

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The research proposed in this Pathways grant identifies and seeks to fill a current gap in knowledge regarding the relationship between aerobic exercise and cardiovascular fitness and functional and structural brain health in humans. The proposed human neuroimaging studies build upon a large body of existing animal research, and aim to extend this work to humans. The candidate is interested in establishing an independent research career in which she can study the effects of aerobic exercise and cardiovascular fitness on cognition and brain health in humans across the lifespan. The candidate's past and current research has included functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies of interactions between working memory and long-term memory and the role of the medial temporal lobes (including the hippocampus) and prefrontal cortex in working memory. The overall goal of this proposal is to prepare the candidate for a career as an independent scientist in translational cognitive neuroscience. Mentors include Dr. Chantal E. Stern, D.Phil., an expert in the cognitive neuroimaging of memory, Dr. Robert C. Wagenaar, Ph.D., a professor of exercise physiology and neurorehabilitation who is known for his work on movement disorders, Dr. Andrew E. Budson, M.D., an expert in cognitive and behavioral neurology, who is known for his work on cognitive dysfunction and memory dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease, and Dr. Alice Cronin-Golomb, Ph.D. a professor of clinical psychology and an expert in the neuropsychology of aging. The goals of the research plan are to 1) establish a link between aerobic exercise, cardiovascular fitness, the functional neuroanatomy of hippocampal-dependent memory, and a neurotrophin, the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in humans using two memory tasks and fMRI (Specific Aim #1), 2) investigate whether a 12-week aerobic exercise intervention in healthy young and older sedentary adults is associated with an improvement in memory task performance, increased serum BDNF levels, and enhanced task-related hippocampal activity using fMRI and a pretest-posttest randomized control group design (Specific Aim #2), and 3) investigate whether the same aerobic exercise intervention in healthy young and older sedentary individuals results in increased volume in the hippocampus and/or hippocampal subfields, and cortical thickness in other brain areas using structural MRI and morphometric methods. The candidate will acquire essential training in exercise physiology and neurorehabilitation, geriatric neurology, clinical neuropsychological assessment, morphometric analyses of structural MRI images, and in clinical trial design. The project will enable the candidate to establish an externally funded research program in translational cognitive neuroscience. Aerobic exercise may be an effective and low-cost intervention resulting in healthy aging by promoting not only physical health, but also brain health. Regular moderate intensity aerobic exercise may have neuroprotective effects throughout the lifespan. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Regular moderate intensity aerobic exercise may be an effective and low-cost intervention for healthy aging by promoting not only physical health, but also brain health, and may have neuroprotective effects throughout the lifespan. These effects of exercise on the brain have been studied extensively in animal models, but not in humans. This set of studies aims to examine the relationship between aging, exercise, and the brain in healthy young and older individuals.

描述(由申请人提供)：这项路径基金中建议的研究确定并试图填补目前关于有氧运动与心血管健康以及人类大脑功能和结构健康之间关系的知识空白。拟议中的人类神经成像研究建立在大量现有动物研究的基础上，旨在将这项工作扩展到人类。这位候选人有兴趣建立一个独立的研究生涯，在这个职业中，她可以研究有氧运动和心血管健康对人类一生中认知和大脑健康的影响。候选人过去和现在的研究包括功能磁共振成像(FMRI)研究工作记忆和长期记忆之间的相互作用，以及内侧颞叶(包括海马体)和前额叶皮质在工作记忆中的作用。这项提议的总体目标是为候选人在翻译认知神经科学领域成为一名独立科学家做好准备。导师包括记忆认知神经成像专家尚塔尔·E·斯特恩博士、以运动障碍研究著称的运动生理学和神经康复教授罗伯特·C·瓦格纳尔博士、认知和行为神经学专家安德鲁·E·布德森博士、以阿尔茨海默病认知障碍和记忆障碍研究著称的安德鲁·E·布德森博士，以及临床心理学教授和衰老神经心理学专家爱丽丝·克罗宁-戈洛姆博士。研究计划的目标是1)利用两个记忆任务和功能磁共振成像(特定目标1)，建立有氧运动、心血管健康、海马体依赖记忆的功能神经解剖学和神经营养因子(脑源性神经营养因子)之间的联系，2)利用功能磁共振成像和前后测试随机对照组设计(特定目标2)，研究在健康的年轻人和老年人中进行为期12周的有氧运动干预是否与改善记忆任务表现、增加血清BDNF水平和增强与任务相关的海马体活动有关。3)使用结构磁共振成像和形态计量学方法，研究同样的有氧运动干预在健康的年轻人和老年人中是否会导致海马区和/或海马区体积的增加，以及其他脑区皮质厚度的增加。应聘者将接受运动生理学和神经康复、老年神经学、临床神经心理学评估、结构磁共振图像的形态计量分析以及临床试验设计方面的基本培训。该项目将使候选人能够建立一个外部资助的翻译认知神经科学研究计划。有氧运动可能是一种有效和低成本的干预措施，不仅能促进身体健康，还能促进大脑健康，从而导致健康老龄化。定期进行中等强度的有氧运动可能会在一生中起到神经保护作用。 公共卫生相关性：定期进行中等强度的有氧运动可能是一种有效且低成本的健康老龄化干预措施，不仅可以促进身体健康，还可以促进大脑健康，并可能在整个生命周期内具有神经保护作用。运动对大脑的这些影响已经在动物模型中进行了广泛的研究，但在人类身上还没有。这组研究旨在研究衰老、运动和健康的年轻人和老年人大脑之间的关系。