Correlates of Physical Activity Levels, Muscle Strength, Working Memory, and Cognitive Function in Older Adults

Overview

Journal Front Aging Neurosci

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2024 Jan 1

PMID 38161587

Authors

Shufan Li

Peng Wang

Zhidong Cai

Wanting Jiang

Xin Xin

Xing Wang

Xiaojing Zhou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between physical activity level, muscle strength, working memory and cognitive function in older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed to recruit 120 older adults individuals aged 70 and above. Participants were asked to complete the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale. Data on variables such as grip strength and performance on the N-back task were collected. Data analysis involved the use of independent samples t-tests, χ2 tests, linear regression analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results: The detection rate of cognitive dysfunction in older adults was 53.211%; 1-back correct rate had an explanatory power of 11.6% for the cognitive function scores of older adults (R = 0.116, < 0.001); grip strength showed a significant positive correlation with 1-back correct rate (r = 0.417, < 0.001), and was significantly correlated with the 0-back response time (r = -0.478), 1 -back response time (r = -0.441) were significantly negatively correlated ( < 0.001); physical activity level was significantly positively correlated with grip strength (r = 0.559, < 0.001), and the difference in grip strength among older adults with different physical activity levels was statistically significant ( = 19.685, < 0.001).

Conclusion: Physical activity level, muscle strength, working memory, and cognitive function are closely related in older adults, and the relational pathway of physical activity → muscle strength → working memory → cognitive function may serve as a useful addition to promote the field of cognitive research in older adults. To identify and prevent cognitive decline in older adults, physical activity questionnaires, grip strength tests, and 1-back task tests can be extended to nursing homes and communities.

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