Effects of Physical Activity on Physical and Mental Health of Older Adults Living in Care Settings: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses.

Previous studies included in meta-analyses have highlighted the effects of physical activity on the physical and psychological health of older adults living in care settings. We conducted a systematic review of meta-analyses, of institutionalized older adults, to evaluate and conduct a narrative synthesis of the results of these meta-analyses. A literature search was conducted in three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) until 22 March 2023.

Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults.

The present study examined the evolution of the behavioral performance, subjectively perceived difficulty, and hemodynamic activity of the prefrontal cortex as a function of cognitive load during two different cognitive tasks tapping executive functions. Additionally, it investigated the relationships between these behavioral, subjective, and neuroimaging data. Nineteen right-handed young adults (18-22 years) were scanned using continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy during the performance of n-back and random number generation tasks in three cognitive load conditions.

Snacktivity, Giant Games and Immersive Virtual Reality Exercises: A Rapid Narrative Review of These New Physical Activity Practices among Older People Living in Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities.

In developed countries, the increasing number of older adults raises many public health challenges. Physical activity can enable healthy aging, as it is beneficial for both mental and physical health. Despite this, not all older adults engage in physical activity or have access to it.

Is there a relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and executive performance as function of mental workload in young adults?

In the current study, we have decided to investigate the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and executive functions in young adults as a function of mental workload. To achieve our objectives, we have solicited 29 young adults (18-25 years; 12 women) who have first realized the Random Number Generation (RNG) task with two levels of complexity. After each level of complexity, the participants were asked to report on their perceived difficulty.

Effects of Chronic Physical Exercise or Multicomponent Exercise Programs on the Mental Health and Cognition of Older Adults Living in a Nursing Home: A Systematic Review of Studies From the Past 10 Years.

Some nursing homes for the elderly provide holistic care that integrates several interventions, including physical exercise. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the effects of physical exercise or multicomponent exercise programs on the mental health (wellbeing, anxiety and depression) and cognitive functions of older adults with/without dementia who live in a nursing home and do/do not require wheelchair assistance. To this end, PubMed, PsycInfo and Web of Science are using to identify clinical trials and randomized controlled studies conducted during the period January 2011 to December 2021 to examine the progression of research in this field over the past ten years.

Mini-Review of Studies Testing the Cardiorespiratory Hypothesis With Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS): Overview and Perspectives.

The cardiorespiratory hypothesis (CH) is one of the hypotheses used by researchers to explain the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive performance during executive functions. Despite the indubitable beneficial effect of training on brain blood flow and function that may explain the link between physical fitness and cognition and the recognition of the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a reliable tool for measuring brain oxygenation, few studies investigated the CH with NIRS. It is still not well understood whether an increase in brain flow by training is translated into an increase in cerebral oxygenation.

Are Barriers the Same Whether I Want to Start or Maintain Exercise? A Narrative Review on Healthy Older Adults.

To help older adults begin or adhere to regular physical exercise, several studies have endeavored to identify barriers to active behavior. However, there is a lack of information about barriers for active older people. In addition, most of the reviews of the literature compare only active people to inactive or sedentary people without examining in detail the barriers with respect to the degree of commitment to behavioral change.

An Overview of the Cardiorespiratory Hypothesis and Its Potential Contribution to the Care of Neurodegenerative Disease in Africa.

One hypothesis that could explain the beneficial effects of physical exercise on cognitive function is the cardiorespiratory hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that improved cognitive functioning may be in part a result of the physiological processes that occur after physical exercise such as: Increased cerebral perfusion and regional cerebral blood flow. These processes ensure increased oxygenation and glucose transportation to the brain, which together can improve cognitive function.

Working Memory, Cognitive Load andCardiorespiratory Fitness: Testing the CRUNCHModel with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

The present study aimed to examine the effects of chronological age and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on cognitive performance and prefrontal cortex activity, and to test the compensation-related utilization of neural circuits hypothesis (CRUNCH). A total of 19 young adults (18⁻22 years) and 37 older ones (60⁻77 years) with a high or low CRF level were recruited to perform a working memory updating task under three different cognitive load conditions. Prefrontal cortex hemodynamic responses were continuously recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and behavioral performances and perceived difficulty were measured.

Use of near-infrared spectroscopy in the investigation of brain activation during cognitive aging: A systematic review of an emerging area of research.

The cognitive neuroscience of aging is a growing and stimulating research area. The development of neuroimaging techniques in the past two decades has considerably increased our understanding of the brain mechanisms that might underlie cognitive performance and resulting changes due to normal aging. Beside traditional metabolic neuroimaging techniques, such as Positron Emission Tomography and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), an optical imaging technique allowing to monitor real-time cerebral blood oxygenation, has gained recent interest in this field.

Selective impairment of sensorimotor representations following short-term upper-limb immobilization.

In the present experiment, we examined whether short-term upper-limb immobilization would selectively affect the representation of the immobilized limb (using a hand laterality task) or whether the effect of immobilization would extend to another body part (using a foot laterality task). A rigid splint placed on the participants' left hand was used for immobilization. A control group did not undergo the immobilization procedure.

Motor imagery practice may compensate for the slowdown of sensorimotor processes induced by short-term upper-limb immobilization.

Recently, it has been demonstrated that sensorimotor representations are quickly updated following a brief period of limb non-use. The present study examined the potential of motor imagery practice (MIP) and investigated the role of motor imagery instructions (kinesthetic vs. visual imagery) to counteract the functional impairment induced by sensorimotor restriction.