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March 31, 2015; 84 (13) Article

Physical activity, motor function, and white matter hyperintensity burden in healthy older adults

Debra A. Fleischman, Jingyun Yang, Konstantinos Arfanakis, Zoe Arvanitakis, Sue E. Leurgans, Arlener D. Turner, Lisa L. Barnes, David A. Bennett, Aron S. Buchman
First published March 11, 2015, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001417
Debra A. Fleischman
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Jingyun Yang
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Konstantinos Arfanakis
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Zoe Arvanitakis
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Sue E. Leurgans
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Arlener D. Turner
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Lisa L. Barnes
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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David A. Bennett
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Aron S. Buchman
From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (D.A.F., J.Y., K.A., Z.A., S.E.L., A.D.T., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.) and Departments of Neurological Sciences (D.A.F., J.Y., Z.A., S.E.L., L.L.B., D.A.B., A.S.B.), Behavioral Sciences (D.A.F., L.L.B.), Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (K.A.), and Preventive Medicine (S.E.L.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; and Biomedical Engineering (K.A.), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
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Citation
Physical activity, motor function, and white matter hyperintensity burden in healthy older adults
Debra A. Fleischman, Jingyun Yang, Konstantinos Arfanakis, Zoe Arvanitakis, Sue E. Leurgans, Arlener D. Turner, Lisa L. Barnes, David A. Bennett, Aron S. Buchman
Neurology Mar 2015, 84 (13) 1294-1300; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001417

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Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that physical activity modifies the association between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden and motor function in healthy older persons without dementia.

Methods: Total daily activity (exercise and nonexercise physical activity) was measured for up to 11 days with actigraphy (Actical; Philips Respironics, Bend, OR) in 167 older adults without dementia participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Eleven motor performances were summarized into a previously described global motor score. WMH volume was expressed as percent of intracranial volume. Linear regression models, adjusted for age, education, and sex, were performed with total WMH volume as the predictor and global motor score as the outcome. Terms for total daily physical activity and its interaction with WMH volume were then added to the model.

Results: Higher WMH burden was associated with lower motor function (p = 0.006), and total daily activity was positively associated with motor function (p = 0.002). Total daily activity modified the association between WMH and motor function (p = 0.007). WMH burden was not associated with motor function in persons with high activity (90th percentile). By contrast, higher WMH burden remained associated with lower motor function in persons with average (50th percentile; estimate = −0.304, slope = −0.133) and low (10th percentile; estimate = −1.793, slope = −0.241) activity.

Conclusions: Higher levels of physical activity may reduce the effect of WMH burden on motor function in healthy older adults.

GLOSSARY

BDNF=
brain-derived neurotrophic factor;
BMI=
body mass index;
FLAIR=
fluid-attenuated inversion recovery;
MPRAGE=
magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient echo;
WMH=
white matter hyperintensity

Footnotes

  • Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.

  • Editorial, page 1288

  • Supplemental data at Neurology.org

  • Received July 29, 2014.
  • Accepted in final form November 6, 2014.
  • © 2015 American Academy of Neurology
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