Page 135 - Petelin, Ana, Nejc Šarabon, eds. 2018. Zdravje starostnikov ▪︎ Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 135
efits of dancing on cognitive functioning in old age telesna (ne)aktivnost in njen pomen ... | physical (in)activity and its importance ...
Mandy Knoll
Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Universitätspl. 2, 39106 Magdeburg,
Germany
Introduction: Physical and cognitive training have proved to be encouraging
methods to positively affect age-related structural and functional brain chang-
es. The aim of this investigation is to compare the effects of physical (in)activity
on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), verbal memory and attention.
Methods: 90 healthy older adults volunteered. We compared 30 dancers with
30 endurance/strength athletes and 30 non-active controls according to BD-
NF, verbal learning and memory test (VLMT) and tests of attentional perfor-
mance (TAP). Further, we evaluated the development of 10 dancers and 10
active controls before intervention, after 6 months, 1.5 and 5 years of train-
ing. Pretest, posttest 1 and 2 are already finished. The third posttest, that in-
volves 90 subjects for cross-sectional study including 20 subjects for longitudi-
nal study, will be completed in June, 2018.
Results: After 6 months, dancers and active controls enhanced their perfor-
mances in visual-spatial memory and attention equally, but only the danc-
ing group showed a significant increase of BDNF (p=0.004). Results after 18
months revealed significant improvements in verbal memory for both groups.
Discussion and conclusions: Although we are still in the process of data acquisi-
tion, we assume that only the dancers will show further increases in BDNF and
cognitive functioning due to the conditional and cognitive demands of dancing.
Keywords: dancing, BDNF, memory, attention
133
Mandy Knoll
Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Universitätspl. 2, 39106 Magdeburg,
Germany
Introduction: Physical and cognitive training have proved to be encouraging
methods to positively affect age-related structural and functional brain chang-
es. The aim of this investigation is to compare the effects of physical (in)activity
on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), verbal memory and attention.
Methods: 90 healthy older adults volunteered. We compared 30 dancers with
30 endurance/strength athletes and 30 non-active controls according to BD-
NF, verbal learning and memory test (VLMT) and tests of attentional perfor-
mance (TAP). Further, we evaluated the development of 10 dancers and 10
active controls before intervention, after 6 months, 1.5 and 5 years of train-
ing. Pretest, posttest 1 and 2 are already finished. The third posttest, that in-
volves 90 subjects for cross-sectional study including 20 subjects for longitudi-
nal study, will be completed in June, 2018.
Results: After 6 months, dancers and active controls enhanced their perfor-
mances in visual-spatial memory and attention equally, but only the danc-
ing group showed a significant increase of BDNF (p=0.004). Results after 18
months revealed significant improvements in verbal memory for both groups.
Discussion and conclusions: Although we are still in the process of data acquisi-
tion, we assume that only the dancers will show further increases in BDNF and
cognitive functioning due to the conditional and cognitive demands of dancing.
Keywords: dancing, BDNF, memory, attention
133
