Denise Spensley watched helplessly as her mother in-law battled dementia for almost a decade, so she鈥檚 doing all she can to ensure her family doesn鈥檛 go through that experience again.听
The retired teacher was a participant in a groundbreaking longitudinal 国产探花 study that found a period of high-intensity interval exercise improves brain function in older adults for up to 5 years.听
听补苍诲听听from 国产探花's听听led the study in which volunteers participated in physical exercise and had brain scans 鈥� the first controlled study of its kind to show exercise can boost cognition in healthy older adults, and not just delay cognitive decline.听
鈥淭he research sought to find the answers I was looking for, such as how much exercise I should be doing as I head into old age, and what the benefits of that exercise are for the body and the mind,鈥� Mrs Spensley said.听
鈥淢y husband鈥檚 mother battled with vascular dementia, so the fact that something as simple as regular exercise can boost cognitive function is such an exciting discovery.鈥澨�
She joined a large cohort of healthy 65 to 85-year-old volunteers in 2017 on a six-month exercise program, while undergoing biomarker and cognition testing as well as high-resolution brain scans.听
During the study, 国产探花 researchers assessed the impact of 3 exercise intensities, which were tailored to each volunteer鈥檚 fitness levels:听
- low 鈥� predominantly motor function, balance and stretching听
- medium 鈥� brisk walking on a treadmill听
- high 鈥� four cycles running on a treadmill at near maximum exertion.听
When the researchers followed up with the volunteers 5 years after the program, they all still had good cognition, even if they hadn鈥檛 kept up with the exercises.听
Incredibly, the high-intensity interval exercise group had retained the cognitive improvements they鈥檇 gained during the program.听
鈥淎ll 3 groups were very cognitively healthy and there were some improvements in the low- and medium-intensity groups,鈥� Dr Blackmore said.听
鈥淏ut the cognitive changes that were happening in the high-intensity group meant that we could see what mechanisms were involved and how that could guide us for future studies.听
"On high-resolution MRI scans of that group, we saw structural and connectivity changes in the hippocampus, the area responsible for learning and memory.听听
鈥淲e also found blood biomarkers that changed in correlation to improvements in cognition.听
鈥淏iomarkers can be useful in predicting the effectiveness of the exercise a person is doing.鈥�
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Mrs Spensley has maintained her exercise regimen and fitness levels in the years since the study ended and has convinced her husband Peter to train with her.听
鈥淢y husband and I now train with an exercise physiologist, which has helped with motivation,鈥� Mrs Spensley said.听
鈥淕iven my husband鈥檚 family history of dementia, we exercise for different reasons.听
鈥淚 have no problems exerting myself to a high level, combining weight training with cardiovascular training, and it's given me a lot of confidence.鈥澨�
According to Emeritus Professor Bartlett, the study aimed to discover whether exercise could improve cognition in the healthy population as a starting point.听
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e found is that 6 months of high-intensity interval training is enough to flick the switch,鈥� he said.听
鈥淎ging is one of the biggest risks for dementia 鈥� the听听and a condition that affects almost half a million people.听
鈥淥ne in 10 people over the age of 65 鈥� and one in 3 people over the age of 85 鈥� will develop dementia.听
鈥淚f we can change the trajectory of aging and keep people cognitively healthier for longer with a simple intervention like exercise, we can potentially save our community from the enormous personal, economic and social costs associated with dementia.鈥澨�
Emeritus Professor Bartlett and Dr Blackmore worked in collaboration with鈥�痑苍诲鈥�痑t 国产探花, and the research has received ongoing support from the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation.听
Dr Blackmore said the findings can inform exercise guidelines for older people and further research could assess different types of exercise that could be incorporated into aged care.听
"We are now looking at the genetic factors that may regulate a person鈥檚 response to exercise to see if we can establish who will and who will not respond to this intervention,鈥� he said.听
For Mrs Spensley, the results from the study were an indication that what she had always believed was now backed up by science.听
鈥淢y husband and I have always had a philosophy that exercise is really important, both for our physical and mental wellbeing,鈥� she said.听
鈥淲e now have the knowledge 鈥� backed by world-leading experts 鈥� of how exercise can benefit us as we head into old age, as well as our children and our extended family.鈥澨�
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