Immediate effects of a single session of physical exercise on cognition and cerebral blood flow: A randomised controlled study of older adults

Abstract Background Regular physical activity is beneficial for cognitive performance in older age. A single bout of aerobic physical exercise can transiently improve cognitive performance. Researchers have advanced improvements in cerebral circulation as a mediator of long-term effects of aerobic physical exercise on cognition, but the immediate effects of exercise on cognition and cerebral perfusion are not well characterized and the effects in older adults are largely unknown. Methods Forty-nine older adults were randomized to a 30-minutes aerobic exercise at moderate intensity or relaxation. Groups were matched on age and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max). Average Grey Matter Blood Flow (GMBF), measured by a pulsed arterial-spin labelling (pASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition, and working memory performance, measured by figurative n-back tasks with increasing loads were assessed before and 7 minutes after exercising/resting. Results Accuracy on the n-back task increased from before to after exercising/resting regardless of the type of activity. GMBF decreased after exercise, relative to the control (resting) group. In the exercise group, higher n-back performance after exercise was associated with lower GMBF in the right hippocampus, left medial frontal cortex and right orbitofrontal cortex, and higher cardiovascular fitness was associated with lower GMBF. Conclusion The decrease of GMBF reported in younger adults shortly after exercise also occurs in older adults and relates to cardiovascular fitness, potentially supporting the link between cardiovascular fitness and cerebrovascular reactivity in older age.