Resistance training protects the hippocampus and precuneus against atrophy and benefits white matter integrity in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Controlled trial with two parallel arms; randomization is not explicitly stated in the abstract.
PubMed 39745618 · doi:10.1007/s11357-024-01483-8
What was done
Forty-four older adults with mild cognitive impairment were allocated to either a resistance training group (n = 22) or a control group (n = 22) for a 24-week intervention. Participants underwent neuropsychological testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and post-intervention, analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.
What was found
The abstract reports directional outcomes without exact numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values: - Verbal episodic memory improved in the training group. - Gray matter volume in the hippocampus and precuneus decreased in the control group. In the training group, volume reduction was absent in the right hippocampus and right precuneus, though volume decreases occurred in the left hippocampus, left precuneus, and left superior frontal gyrus. - White matter fractional anisotropy increased in the training group and decreased in controls; axial diffusivity decreased in the training group, radial diffusivity increased in controls, and mean diffusivity varied by tract.
Why it matters
This study provides structural and diffusion MRI evidence suggesting resistance exercise may preserve regional brain volume and white matter microstructural integrity in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.
Limits
The sample size is small (n = 44 total), and the abstract does not specify whether participants were randomized. No numerical effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values are reported in the abstract. Brain volume preservation was lateralized, with left-hemisphere atrophy still occurring in the intervention group.
Cited by
- supports Resistance training performed two to three times per week for 6 to 12 months produces significant changes in brain white matter structure and improves executive function in older adults.