Chronic exercise preserves brain function in masters athletes when compared to sedentary counterparts.

Objective: Exercise is beneficial for both the body and the mind, and it has been associated with protective neurocognitive effects, such as increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurogenesis. These effects are linked to the attenuation of age-related mental decline and the preservation of mental capacities in older, physically active adults. This study evaluated whether masters athletes, a highly active population, have better cognitive function compared to age-matched non-athletes based on the Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) tool.

Methods: Masters athletes and sedentary controls were recruited and screened for eligibility. All subjects were excluded if they had preexisting neurological diseases, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse disorders, learning disorders, and/or a history of traumatic brain injury, and in addition, control subjects were excluded if they performed >1 h/week of aerobic exercise. All participants completed a health and activity survey which includes the SF-12 and the ImPACT neurocognitive test which measures verbal and visual memory as well as reaction time. Differences between masters athletes and the control population were determined by ImPACT score composites.

Results: 51 pairs of athletes and non-athletes were analyzed. Athletes had significantly higher verbal memory scores (85.9 ± 7.7 vs 79.9 ± 13.9, p = 0.01) and faster reaction times (0.71 ± 0.12 vs 0.76 ± 0.15 s, p = 0.04) on the ImPACT test. Athletes also scored significantly higher on the physical components summary score of the SF-12 (55.0 ± 3.3 vs 51.8 ± 6.7, p = 0.004).

Conclusion: Masters athletes performed better on verbal memory and reaction time test, as well as on physical function as evaluated by the SF-12, compared to non-athlete controls. Chronic physical activity may preserve neurocognitive processes and increase physical health, which are protective factors for the negative effects of the aging process.