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Abstract
Objective: We aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between lifestyle factors and Alzheimer disease biomarkers.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated self-reported histories of recent and past cognitive activity, self-reported history of recent physical activity, and objective recent walking activity in 186 clinically normal individuals with mean age of 74 ± 6 years. Using backward elimination general linear models, we tested the hypotheses that greater cognitive or physical activity would be associated with lower Pittsburgh compound B–PET retention, greater 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose–PET metabolism, and larger hippocampal volume, as well as better cognitive performance on neuropsychological testing.
Results: Linear regression demonstrated that history of greater cognitive activity was correlated with greater estimated IQ and education, as well as better neuropsychological testing performance. Self-reported recent physical activity was related to objective exercise monitoring. However, contrary to hypotheses, we did not find evidence of an association of Pittsburgh compound B retention, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake, or hippocampal volume with past or current levels of cognitive activity, or with current physical activity.
Conclusions: We conclude that a history of lifelong cognitive activity may support better cognitive performance by a mechanism that is independent of brain β-amyloid burden, brain glucose metabolism, or hippocampal volume.
GLOSSARY
- Aβ=
- β-amyloid;
- AD=
- Alzheimer disease;
- AMNART=
- American version of the National Adult Reading Test;
- CA=
- cognitive activity;
- FDG=
- 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose;
- FS=
- FreeSurfer;
- GLM=
- general linear model;
- mcPiB=
- mean cortical Pittsburgh compound B;
- MP-RAGE=
- magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient echo;
- PiB=
- Pittsburgh compound B;
- PrecFDG=
- precuneus 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose;
- RelHippoVol=
- relative hippocampal volume;
- ROI=
- region of interest;
- TPASelf=
- self-reported total physical activity;
- TWAPed=
- pedometer-measured total walking activity;
- WalkSelf=
- self-reported walking activity
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.
Supplemental data at Neurology.org
- Received June 2, 2014.
- Accepted in final form March 10, 2015.
- © 2015 American Academy of Neurology
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