Does muscle strength predict working memory? A cross-sectional fNIRS study in older adults

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Aging Neuroscience

Zhidong Cai¹  Qiang Wang²  Xing Wang³ 

[1] Department of Physical Education, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China;School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China;School of Physical Education, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, China;School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China;

关键词: cognition;    muscle strength;    30-s sit-up;    grip strength;    N-back;    functional near infrared spectroscopy;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnagi.2023.1243283

 received in 2023-06-20, accepted in 2023-09-25,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

ObjectivePrevious research has primarily focused on the association between muscle strength and global cognitive function in older adults, while the connection between muscle strength and advanced cognitive function such as inhibition and working memory (WM) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship among muscle strength, WM, and task-related cortex hemodynamics.MethodsWe recruited eighty-one older adults. Muscle strength was measured using a grip and lower limb strength protocol. We measured the WM performance by using reaction time (RT) and accuracy (ACC) in the N-back task and the cortical hemodynamics of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).ResultsWe found positive correlations between grip strength (p < 0.05), 30-s sit-up (p < 0.05) and ACC, negative correlation between grip strength (p < 0.05) and RT. Furthermore, we observed positive correlations between grip strength and the level of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontopolar area, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05), and negative correlations between grip strength and the level of deoxygenated hemoglobin (Hb) in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontopolar area, left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05). Additionally, we noticed positive correlations between RT and the level of Hb in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right frontopolar area (p < 0.05), and negative correlations between RT and the level of HbO2 in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontopolar area (p < 0.05). However, the cortical hemodynamics did not mediate the relationship between muscle strength and WM performance (RT, ACC).ConclusionThe grip strength of older adults predicted WM in the cross-section study. The level of hemodynamics in PFC can serve as a predictor of WM.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Cai, Wang and Wang.