Cerebral/Peripheral Vascular Reactivity and Neurocognition in Middle-Age Athletes

AB Introduction: Midlife vascular disease risk is associated with higher incidence of cognitive impairment in late life. Regular aerobic exercise improves vascular function, which in turn may translate into better cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations among cardiorespiratory fitness, cerebral and peripheral vascular reactivity, and cognitive function in sedentary and endurance-trained middle-age adults. Methods: Thirty-two endurance-trained and 27 healthy sedentary participants ages 43-65 yr underwent measurements of maximal oxygen uptake (V[spacing dot above]O2max), neurocognitive assessment, cerebrovascular reactivity to CO2 (CVR), and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Results: There were no group differences in age, sex, education level, fasting blood glucose, and blood pressure. Compared with sedentary subjects, endurance-trained athletes demonstrated better cognitive performance on memory (z-score: -0.36 +/- 1.11 vs 0.30 +/- 0.76, P 0.05). Conclusion: Endurance-trained middle-age adults demonstrated better cognitive performance, which may, at least in part, be mediated by their enhanced vascular function, including cerebral and endothelial-dependent vascular reactivity.