Physical Activity and Cerebral Small Vein Integrity in Older Adults.

Identifying promoters of cerebral small vein integrity is important to counter vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia.

PURPOSE: In this preliminary investigation, the effects of a randomized 24-month physical activity (PA) intervention on changes in cerebral small vein integrity were compared to those of a health education (HE) control.

METHODS: Cerebral small vein integrity was measured in 24 older adults (n=8, PA; n=16, HE) using ultra-high field MRI before and at the end of the 24-month intervention. Deep medullary veins were defined as straight or tortuous; percent change in straight length, tortuous length, and tortuosity ratio were computed. Microbleed count and white matter hyperintensities were also rated.

RESULTS: Accelerometry-based values of PA increased by 17.2% in the PA group but declined by 28.0% in the HE group. The PA group, but not the HE group, had a significant increase in straight vein length from baseline to 24-month follow-up (p=.02 and p=.21, respectively); the between group difference in percent change in straight length was significant (median (IQR) increase: 93.6%(112.9) for PA, 28.4%(90.6) for HE; p=.07). Between group differences in other markers were non-significant.

CONCLUSION: Increasing PA in late-life may promote cerebral small vein integrity. This should be confirmed in larger studies. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01072500.