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Physical Activity Predicts Population-Level Age-Related Differences in Frontal White Matter

Physical activity has positive effects on brain health and cognitive function throughout the life span. Thus far, few studies have examined the effects of physical activity on white matter microstructure and psychomotor speed within the same, population-based sample (critical if conclusions are to extend to the wider population). Here, using diffusion tensor imaging and a simple reaction time task within a relatively large population-derived sample (N = 399; 18–87 years) from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN), we demonstrate that physical activity mediates the effect of age on white matter integrity, measured with fractional anisotropy. Higher self-reported daily ph…

Supporting parents of children with chronic conditions: A randomized controlled trial of web-based and self-help ACT interventions

Objective Many parents of children with chronic conditions and developmental disabilities experience high rates of burnout and psychological distress. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of two differently delivered interventions based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on symptoms of burnout, depression, quality of life, psychological flexibility, and mindfulness skills. Method A total of 110 parents of children aged 0.8 to 17 years with chronic conditions and developmental disabilities participated in a randomized controlled trial lasting 13 weeks with two intervention groups: (1) an iACT intervention, including three psychologist-led video conferencing session…

Physical activity predicts population-level age-related differences in frontal white matter

AbstractPhysical activity has positive effects on brain health and cognitive function throughout the lifespan. Thus far, few studies have examined the effects of physical activity on white matter (WM) microstructure and psychomotor speed within the same, population-based sample (critical if conclusions are to extend to the wider population). Here, using diffusion tensor imaging and a simple reaction time task within a relatively large population-derived sample (N = 399; 18–87 years) from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN), we demonstrate that physical activity mediates the effect of age on white matter integrity, measured with fractional anisotropy. Higher self-repor…

Somatosensory change detection in the aging brain

The study examined the brain’s automatic somatosensory change detection mechanism using event-related potentials (ERPs) to tactile electrical pulses to fingers in an oddball paradigm. Also the effects of aging to these ERPs were investigated comparing the data of young adults (N = 20, 22–27 years) with the data of aged participants (N = 12, 67–95 years). In the experiment, the participants were instructed to ignore finger stimuli and to be fully involved to a radio play during the electroencephalogram (EEG) recording. The electrical stimulation was delivered to participant’s forefinger and little finger in randomized order of standard (P = 0.85) and deviant (P = 0.15) stimuli. The analyzed …

Automatic auditory and somatosensory brain responses in relation to cognitive abilities and physical fitness in older adults

AbstractIn normal ageing, structural and functional changes in the brain lead to an altered processing of sensory stimuli and to changes in cognitive functions. The link between changes in sensory processing and cognition is not well understood, but physical fitness is suggested to be beneficial for both. We recorded event-related potentials to somatosensory and auditory stimuli in a passive change detection paradigm from 81 older and 38 young women and investigated their associations with cognitive performance. In older adults also associations to physical fitness were studied. The somatosensory mismatch response was attenuated in older adults and it associated with executive functions. So…

Human brain ages with hierarchy-selective attenuation of prediction errors

Abstract From the perspective of predictive coding, our brain embodies a hierarchical generative model to realize perception, which proactively predicts the statistical structure of sensory inputs. How are these predictive processes modified as we age? Recent research suggested that aging leads to decreased weighting of sensory inputs and increased reliance on predictions. Here we investigated whether this age-related shift from sensorium to predictions occurs at all levels of hierarchical message passing. We recorded the electroencephalography responses with an auditory local–global paradigm in a cohort of 108 healthy participants from 3 groups: seniors, adults, and adolescents. The detect…

Somatosensory mismatch response in young and elderly adults

Aging is associated with cognitive decline and alterations in early perceptual processes. Studies in the auditory and visual sensory modalities have shown that the mismatch negativity [or the mismatch response (MMR)], an event-related potential (ERP) elicited by a deviant stimulus in a background of homogenous events, diminishes with aging and cognitive decline. However, the effects of aging on the somatosensory MMR (sMMR) are not known. In the current study, we recorded ERPs to electrical pulses to different fingers of the left hand in a passive oddball experiment in young (22–36 years) and elderly (66– 95 years) adults engaged in a visual task. The MMR was found to deviants as compared to…

Brain, cognition and physically active lifestyle in healthy ageing

Normal ageing is accompanied by profound changes in brain structure and declines in the automatic processing of sensory stimuli, which in turn lead to altered cognitive performance. However, behaviour and lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, may help to maintain the brain’s structural connectivity and function, as well as cognitive functioning in old age. Study I examined the effects of age on the brain’s capability to detect changes in somatosensory stimuli by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to electrical stimulation of different fingers in young and older adults. The results of Study I show that somatosensory mismatch response (sMMR) was attenuated in amplit…