Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training

Daniel G Blackmore; Mia Schaumberg; Maryam Ziaei; Samuel Belford; Xuan Vinh To; Imogen O'Keeffe; Anne Bernard; Jules Mitchell; Emily A Hume; Grace Laura Rose; Thomas Shaw; Ashley York; Markus Barth; Elizabeth Cooper; Tina L Skinner; Fatima A Nasrallah; Stephan Riek; Perry F Bartlett

doi:10.14336/AD.2024.0642

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Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training

Journal article

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Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training

Daniel G Blackmore, Mia Schaumberg, Maryam Ziaei, Samuel Belford, Xuan Vinh To, Imogen O'Keeffe, Anne Bernard, Jules Mitchell, Emily A Hume, Grace Laura Rose, …

Aging and Disease, Vol.16(3), pp.1-22

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2024.0642

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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Abstract

exercise

hippocampal-dependent

memory

biomarkers

Thompson Institute Special Collection

Sports or fitness related

Neuroimaging

Physical exercise may reduce dementia risk in aging, but varying reports on its effectiveness make it challenging to ascribe what level of exercise will have significant longer-term effects on important functions such as hippocampal-based learning and memory. This study compared the effect of three different 6-month exercise regimens on hippocampal-dependent cognition in healthy, elderly individuals. Participants, aged 65-85 with no cognitive deficits, were randomly assigned to one of three exercise interventions (low (LIT), medium (MIT), and High intensity interval training (HIIT), respectively). Each participant attended 72 supervised exercise sessions over a 6-month period. A total of 151 participants completed all sessions. Cognitive testing for hippocampal performance occurred monthly, as did blood collection, and continued for up to 5 years following initiation of the study. Multimodal 7 Tesla MRI scans were taken at commencement, 6 and 12 months. After 6 months, only the HIIT group displayed significant improvement in hippocampal function, as measured by paired associative learning (PAL). MRI from the HIIT group showed abrogation of the age-dependent volumetric decrease within several cortical regions including the hippocampus and improved functional connectivity between multiple neural networks not seen in the other groups. HIIT-mediated changes in the circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cortisol correlated to improved hippocampal-dependent cognitive ability. These findings demonstrate that HIIT significantly improves and prolongs the hippocampal-dependent cognitive health of aged individuals. Importantly, improvement was retained for at least 5 years following initiation of HIIT, suggesting that the changes seen in hippocampal volume and connectivity underpin this long-term maintenance. Sustained improvement in hippocampal function to this extent confirms that such exercise-based interventions can provide significant protection against hippocampal cognitive decline in the aged population. The changes in specific blood factor levels also may provide useful biomarkers for choosing the optimal exercise regimen to promote cognitive improvement.

Details

Title: Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training
Authors: Daniel G Blackmore (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Mia Schaumberg - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Biomedicine
Maryam Ziaei - The University of Queensland
Samuel Belford - The University of Queensland
Xuan Vinh To - The University of Queensland
Imogen O'Keeffe - The University of Queensland
Anne Bernard - The University of Queensland
Jules Mitchell - The University of Queensland
Emily A Hume - The University of Queensland
Grace Laura Rose - The University of Queensland
Thomas Shaw - The University of Queensland
Ashley York - The University of Queensland
Markus Barth - The University of Queensland
Elizabeth Cooper - The University of Queensland
Tina L Skinner - The University of Queensland
Fatima A Nasrallah - The University of Queensland
Stephan Riek (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Graduate Research School
Perry F Bartlett (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Publication details: Aging and Disease, Vol.16(3), pp.1-22
Publisher: Buck Institute for Age Research
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.14336/AD.2024.0642
ISSN: 2152-5250
Copyright note: © 2024 Blackmore DG. et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine; Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health; Graduate Research School; Thompson Institute; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991046398502621
Output Type: Journal article

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