There is increasing evidence that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with
brain structure and function, and improvements in CRF through exercise training have
been associated with neural and cognitive functioning in older adults. The objectives
of this study were to validate the use of a non-exercise estimate of CRF, and to examine
its association with cognitive function, brain structure and subjective memory complaints.
Low active, older adults (N = 86; M age= 65.14) completed a physician-supervised maximal
exercise test, a 1-mile timed walk, several measures of cognitive function, and a
3 Tesla structural MRI. Fitness was also calculated from an equation derived by (Jurca
et al., 2005) based on age, sex, body mass index, resting heart rate, and self-reported
physical activity level. Analyses indicated that all three measures of CRF were significantly
correlated with one another. In addition, measures of cognitive function, hippocampus
volume, and memory complaints were significantly correlated with each measure of fitness.
These findings have implications for using a low-risk, low-cost, non-exercise estimate
of CRF in determining fitness associations with brain structure and cognitive function
in older adults. As such, this measure may have utility for larger population based
studies. Further validation is required, as is determination of whether such relationships
hold over the course of exercise interventions.