Clinical Section

Physical Fitness and Cognitive Function in an 85-Year-Old Community-Dwelling Population
Y. Takata^a, T. Ansai^b, I. Soh^b, Y. Kimura^c, Y. Yoshitake^d, K. Sonoki^a, S. Awano^b, S. Kagiyama^a, A. Yoshida^b, I. Nakamichi^a, T. Hamasaki^b, T. Torisu^a, K. Toyoshima^e, T. Takehara^b

Divisions of
^aGeneral Internal Medicine,
^bCommunity Oral Health Science, and
^eOral Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyushu Dental College, Kitakyushu,
^cFaculty of Culture and Education, Saga University, Saga, and
^dDepartment for Interdisciplinary Studies of Lifelong Sport and Physical Activity, National Institute of Fitness and Sports, Kanoya, Japan

Address of Corresponding Author

Gerontology 2008;54:354-360 (DOI: 10.1159/000129757)

  Key Words

• Cognitive function
• Physical fitness
• Community-dwelling population
• Mini-Mental State Examination

  Abstract

Background: Little is known about the association between physical fitness and cognitive function in very elderly people (over 80 years of age). Objectives: To evaluate that relationship in 85-year-old community-dwelling individuals. Methods: Out of 207 participants (90 males, 117 females) who were 85 years old and community-dwelling, 205 completed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for evaluating cognitive function. The numbers of subjects who completed physical fitness measurements such as hand-grip strength, isometric leg extensor strength, one-leg standing time, stepping rate, and walking speed were 198, 159, 169, 168, and 151, respectively. Results: There were significant associations in MMSE with hand-grip strength (right or left hand), isometric leg extensor strength, stepping rate, and walking speed by simple regression analysis. MMSE was still significantly associated with hand-grip strength ( = 0.305, p = 0.005 for right side; = 0.309, p = 0.004 for left side), stepping rate ( = 0.183, p = 0.046), and walking speed ( = -0.222, p = 0.014) by multiple regression analysis after adjustments for the amount of education, gender, smoking, drinking, complication of stroke, body weight, body height, regular medical care, serum albumin, blood HbA1c, and marital status. By logistic regression analysis, the prevalence of a normal MMSE score (MMSE 24) was increased by 9% with each 1-kg increase in hand-grip strength of the left hand (OR 1.087, 95% CI 1.003-1.179, p = 0.042), and was increased by 6% with each step per 10 s in stepping rate (OR 1.060, 95% CI 1.000-1.122, p = 0.048). Conclusion: In a very elderly population of 85-year-olds, cognitive function was associated with some physical fitness measurements, independent of confounding factors.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  References

1.

Baum EE, Jarjoura D, Polen AE, Faur D, Rutecki G: Effectiveness of a group exercise program in a long-term care facility: a randomized pilot trial. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2003;4:74-80.

2.

Heyn P, Abreu BC, Ottenbacher KJ: The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: a meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1694-1704.

3.

Tanaka C, Yoshida H, Amano H, Kumagai S, Fijiwara Y, Tsuchiya Y, et al: Physical activity level and physical, mental and social factors in community-dwelling elderly people. Nippon Koshu Eisei Zasshi 2006;53:671-680.

4.

Buchner DM, Beresford SA, Larson EB, LaCroix AZ, Wagner EH: Effects of physical activity on health status in older adults. II. Intervention studies. Annu Rev Public Health 1992;13:469-488.

5.

Hassmén P, Ceci R, Bäckman L: Exercise for older women: a training method and its influences on physical and cognitive performance. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1992;64:460-466.

6.

Cook LJ: Exercises for mental wellness. Couldn't we all benefit? J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2007;45:8-9.

7.

Blumenthal JA, Emery CF, Madden DJ, Schniebolk S, Walsh-Riddle M, George LK, et al: Long-term effects of exercise on psychological functioning in older men and women. J Gerontol 1991;46:P352-P361.

8.

Netz Y, Jacob T: Exercise and psychological state of institutionalized elderly: a review. Percept Mot Skills 1994;79:1107-1118.

9.

Kramer AF, Colcombe S, Erickson K, Belopolsky A, McAuley E, Cohen NJ, et al: Effects of aerobic fitness training on human cortical function: a proposal. J Mol Neurosci 2002;19:227-231.

10.

Kramer AF, Colcombe SJ, McAuley E, Eriksen KI, Scalf P, Jerome GJ, et al: Enhancing brain and cognitive function of older adults through fitness training. J Mol Neurosci 2003;20:213-221.

11.

Barnes DE, Yaffe K, Satariano WA, Tager IB: A longitudinal study of cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive function in healthy older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003;51:459-465.

12.

Kramer AF, Colcombe SJ, McAuley E, Scalf PE, Erickson KI: Fitness, aging and neurocognitive function. Neurobiol Aging 2005;26(suppl 1):124-127.

13.

Renaud M, Bherer L: Impact of physical fitness on cognitive aging. Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil 2005;3:199-206.

14.

Rosano C, Simonsick EM, Harris TB, Kritchevsky SB, Brach J, Visser M, et al: Association between physical and cognitive function in healthy elderly: the health, aging and body composition study. Neuroepidemiology 2005;24:8-14.

15.

Anstey KJ: Interrelationships among biological markers of aging, health, activity, acculturation, and cognitive performance in late adulthood. Psychol Aging 1999;14:605-618.

16.

Lindenberger U, Baltes PB: Intellectual functioning in old and very old age: cross-sectional results from the Berlin Aging Study. Psychol Aging 1997;12:410-432.

17.

Schäfer S, Huxhold O, Lindenberger U: Healthy mind in healthy body? A review of sensorimotor-cognitive interdependencies in old age. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 2006;3:45-54.

18.

Etnier JL, Nowell PM, Landers DM, Sibley BA: A meta-regression to examine the relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive performance. Brain Res Rev 2006;52;119-130.

19.

Hill RD, Storandt M, Malley M: The impact of long-term exercise training on psychological function in older adults. J Gerontol 1993;48:12-17.

20.

Blumenthal JA, Emery CF, Madden DJ, Schniebolk S, Walsh-Riddle M, George LK, et al: Long-term effects of exercise on psychological functioning in older men and women. J Gerontol 1991;46:352-361.

21.

Colcombe S, Kramer AF: Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study. Psychol Sci 2003;14:125-130.

22.

Colcombe SJ, Erickson KI, Raz N, Webb AG, Cohen NJ, McAuley E, et al: Aerobic fitness reduces brain tissue loss in aging humans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2003;58:176-180.

23.

Colcombe SJ, Erickson KI, Scalf PE, Kim JS, Prakash R, McAuley E, et al: Aerobic exercise training increases brain volume in aging humans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2006;61:1166-1170.

24.

Marks BL, Madden DJ, Bucur B, Provenzale JM, White LE, Cabeza R, Huettel SA: Role of aerobic fitness and aging on cerebral white matter integrity. Ann NY Acad Sci 2007;1097:171-174.

25.

Hatta A, Nishihira Y, Kim SR, Kaneda T, Kida T, Kamijo K, et al: Effects of habitual moderate exercise on response processing and cognitive processing in older adults. Jpn J Physiol 2005;55:29-36.

26.

Van Gelder BM, Tijhuis MA, Kalmijn S, Giampaoli S, Nissinen A, Kromhout D: Physical activity in relation to cognitive decline in elderly men: the FINE Study. Neurology 2004;63:2316-2321.

27.

Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR: 'Mini-mental state': a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975;12:189-198.

28.

Tombaugh TN, McIntyre NJ: The Mini-Mental State Examination: a comprehensive review. J Am Geriatr Soc 1992;40:922-935.

29.

Buchner DM, de Lateur BJ: The importance of skeletal muscle strength to physical function in older adults. Ann Behav Med 1991;13:91-98.

30.

Yoshitake Y, Shimada M, Kimura Y, Sugeta A, Inaba D, Yonemitsu M: Relation between physical fitness and functional performance in 80-year-old men and women residing in a community for the elderly; in Tanaka H, Shindo M (eds): Exercise for Preventing Common Diseases. Tokyo, Springer, 2000, pp 147-153.

31.

Yamaga T, Yoshihara A, Ando Y, Yoshitake Y, Kimura Y, Shimada M, et al: Relationship between dental occlusion and physical fitness in an elderly population. J Gerontol Med Sci 2002;57:M616-M620.

32.

Newson RS, Kemps EB: Cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of successful cognitive ageing. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2006;28:949-967.

33.

Anstey K, Christensen H: Education, activity, health, blood flow and apolipoprotein E as predictors of cognitive changes in old age: a review. Gerontology 2000;46:163-177.

34.

Rogers RL, Meyer JS, Mortel KF: After reaching retirement age physical activity sustains cerebral perfusion and cognition. J Am Geriatr Soc 1990;38:123-128.

35.

McAuley E, Kramer AF, Colcombe SJ: Cardiovascular fitness and neurocognitive function in older adults: a brief review. Brain Behav Immun 2004;18:214-220.

  Author Contacts

Dr. Yutaka Takata
Division of General Internal Medicine, Kyushu Dental College
Manazuru 2-6-1, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City 803-8580 (Japan)
Tel. +81 93 582 1131, ext. 2011, Fax +81 93 582 0592
E-Mail yutaka@kyu-dent.ac.jp

  Article Information

Received: October 2, 2007
Accepted: March 11, 2008
Published online: May 5, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 35

  Publication Details

Gerontology (International Journal of Experimental, Clinical, Behavioural and Technological Gerontology)

Vol. 54, No. 6, Year 2008 (Cover Date: November 2008)

Journal Editor: Wick G. (Innsbruck)
ISSN: 0304-324X (Print), eISSN: 1423-0003 (Online)

For additional information: http://www.karger.com/GER

  Drug Dosage / Copyright

Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in goverment regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug. Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or, in the case of photocopying, direct payment of a specified fee to the Copyright Clearance Center.