Physical fitness and lifetime cognitive change

To test the hypothesis that physical fitness is associated with more successful cognitive aging. Surviving participants (N = 460) of the Scottish Mental Survey of 1932 were tested on the same general cognitive test at age 11 and 79 years. Measures of grip strength, 6-meter walk time, and lung functi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNeurology Vol. 67; no. 7; p. 1195
Main Authors Deary, Ian J, Whalley, Lawrence J, Batty, G David, Starr, John M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 10.10.2006
Subjects
Adaptation, Physiological
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Aging - physiology
Child
Cognition - physiology
Female
Humans
Intelligence Tests - statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Physical Fitness - physiology
Statistics as Topic
United Kingdom - epidemiology
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Summary:To test the hypothesis that physical fitness is associated with more successful cognitive aging. Surviving participants (N = 460) of the Scottish Mental Survey of 1932 were tested on the same general cognitive test at age 11 and 79 years. Measures of grip strength, 6-meter walk time, and lung function (forced expiratory volume from the lungs in 1 second [FEV1]) were assessed at age 79 years. A latent physical fitness trait, derived by principal components analysis of the three fitness measures, was significantly associated with successful cognitive aging. Cognitive score at age 11, sex, social class, and APOE-epsilon4 genotype were included as covariables. Higher childhood IQ was associated with better lung function in old age. Physical fitness is associated with cognitive reserve. Intervention studies aimed at making older people fitter are good candidates to improve cognitive aging.
ISSN:1526-632X
DOI:10.1212/01.wnl.0000238520.06958.6a