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Physical Activity & Cognitive Decline Over 5 Years

Neurology; ePub 2016 Mar 23; Willey, et al

Publish date:: April 19, 2016

A low level of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is independently associated with greater decline in cognitive performance over time across domains, according to a standard neuropsychological examination (NPE) of 1,228 participants, including 876 who were reexamined 5 years later. Researchers found:

• No/low levels of LTPA were associated with worse executive function, semantic memory, and processing speed scores on the first NPE.

• The associations were slightly attenuated and no longer significant after adjusting for vascular risk factors.

• Cognitively unimpaired participants reporting no/low LTPA vs moderate/high levels declined more over time in processing speed and episodic memory, adjusting for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors.

Citation: Willey JZ, Gardener H, Caunca MR, et al. Leisure-time physical activity associates with cognitive decline. [Published online ahead of print March 23, 2016]. Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002582.

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