Strength gains after 12 weeks of resistance training correlate with neurochemical markers of brain health in older adults: a randomized control 1 H-MRS study

• Published in: GeroScience Vol. 45; no. 3; p. 1837
• Main Authors: Sheoran, Samrat, Vints, Wouter A J, Valatkevičienė, Kristina, Kušleikienė, Simona, Gleiznienė, Rymantė, Česnaitienė, Vida J, Himmelreich, Uwe, Levin, Oron, Masiulis, Nerijus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01-06-2023
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brain - metabolism; Glutamic Acid - metabolism; Glutamine - metabolism; Humans; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - metabolism; Resistance Training; Sarcopenia; Brain metabolism; Strength training; Aging; Glutamate; Neurogenesis; N-acetylaspartate
• ISSN: 2509-2723

Physical exercise is considered a potent countermeasure against various age-associated physiological deterioration processes. We therefore assessed the effect of 12 weeks of resistance training on brain metabolism in older adults (age range: 60-80 years). Participants either underwent two times weekly resistance training program which consisted of four lower body exercises performed for 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions at 70-85% of 1 repetition maximum (n = 20) or served as the passive control group (n = 21). The study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify the ratio of total N-acetyl aspartate, total choline, glutamate-glutamine complex, and myo-inositol relative to total creatine (tNAA/tCr, tCho/tCr, Glx/tCr, and mIns/tCr respectively) in the hippocampus (HPC), sensorimotor (SM1), and prefrontal (dlPFC) cortices. The peak torque (PT at 60°/s) of knee extension and flexion was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. We used repeated measures time × group ANOVA to assess time and group differences and correlation coefficient analyses to examine the pre-to-post change (∆) associations between PT and neurometabolite variables. The control group showed significant declines in tNAA/tCr and Glx/tCr of SM1, and tNAA/tCr of dlPFC after 12 weeks, which were not seen in the experimental group. A significant positive correlation was found between ∆PT knee extension and ∆SM1 Glx/tCr, ∆dlPFC Glx/tCr and between ∆PT knee flexion and ∆dlPFC mIns/tCr in the experimental group. Overall, findings suggest that resistance training seems to elicit alterations in various neurometabolites that correspond to exercise-induced "preservation" of brain health, while simultaneously having its beneficial effect on augmenting muscle functional characteristics in older adults.