We all know exercise is good for preventing physical health problems, but could it also be good for preventing cognitive problems? A study published in Mental Health and Physical Activity suggests that low levels of physical activity can increase the chances of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
Parkinson’s disease consists of motor dysfunctions, as well as cognitive impairments. Parkinson’s disease cognitive issues can be separated into Parkinson’s disease mild cognitive impairment or Parkinson’s disease dementia based on how severe the symptoms are. These categories are helpful when thinking about quality of life and level of care needed for Parkinson’s patients.
Adults with Parkinson’s are less physically active than healthy adults in their age range, which can be especially significant because the neurobiological benefits of physical activity for older people are well-documented. This study seeks to understand the relationship between physical activity and cognitive functioning for people recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
For their study, Jacob D. Jones and colleagues used data from 307 participants from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, which is a longitudinal initiative for adults who were recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Participants completed tests on immediate memory, delayed free-recall, visuospatial skills, processing speed, language fluency, and motor function. Additionally, participants answered a measure about their engagement in physical activity.
Results showed that for both within-person and between-subject analyses, there was a significant effect of physical activity. Participants who were more active had a decreased chance of developing both mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and participants who became less active over the course of the study were more likely to develop these cognitive difficulties. Increased risk of cognitive impairment was also related to increased severity in motor functioning impairment.
“One unique aspect of the current findings is that physical activity was associated with cognitive impairment independently of motor severity,” the researchers said. “Additionally, all participants were relatively newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (second year of diagnosis), which reduces concerns that differences in disease duration may be confounding the association between physical activity and cognitive impairment.”
This study took significant steps into better understanding the relationship between cognitive decline in Parkinson’s patients and physical activity. Despite this, there are some limitations to note. The study relied on self-report engagement in physical activity; future research could utilize objective measures.
“Overall, findings provide support for the clinical importance of physical activity among individuals with Parkinson’s disease,” the researchers concluded. “Engagement in everyday physically demanding activities, such as exercise, sports, or other leisure/recreational physical activities, may reduce the risk of [mild cognitive impairment] and [dementia].”
The study, “Physical Inactivity is Associated with Parkinson’s Disease Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia“, was authored by Jacob D. Jones, Fawn Baxter, Holly Timblin, Rhiannon Rivas, and Christopher R.Hill.