Physical Activity Linked to Slower Cognitive Decline in Adults With Elevated Tau Levels

Older adults who were physically active reported significantly slower cognitive decline compared with sedentary adults, reports astudy published Wednesday inJAMA Network Open. The association between physical activity and cognitive function was most dramatic among adults who had elevated levels of the Alzheimer ’s-associated tau protein in their blood.“Although we know that physical activity can positively impact cognitive function, much less is understood about the role of sedentary behavior and its association with the same,” wrote Pankaja Desai, Ph.D., of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and colleagues. “Our results … demonstr at[e] the clear difference in cognitive decline among participants with little activity, compared with those who reported low or high activity in a large, population-based sample without disease.”Desai and colleagues looked at data from 1,159 participants (63% women and 60% African American) in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a population-based cohort study that followed adults over 65 years of age from four Chicago communities between 1993 and 2012. The study protocol included periodic cognitive tests, blood draws, and reports by participants on their physical activity. All participants had a baseline blood sample collected and at least two global cognitive function outcome measurements over the course of the study.The participants were divided into three physical activity groups: little (no participation in any physical a...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Alzheimer's disease Chicago Health and Aging Project cognitive decline JAMA Network Open physical activity sedentary tau Source Type: research