Evolution of Neuroplasticity in Response to Physical Activity in Old Age: The Case for Dancing

Abstract

From animal research, it is known that combining physical activity with sensory enrichment has stronger and longer-lasting effects on the brain than either treatment alone. For humans dancing has been suggested to be analogous to such combined training. Here we assessed whether a newly designed dance training program that stresses the constant learning of new movement patterns is superior in terms of neuroplasticity to conventional fitness activities with repetitive exercises and whether extending the training duration has additional benefits. Twenty-two healthy seniors (63–80 years) who had been randomly assigned to either a dance or a sport group completed the entire 18-month study. MRI, BDNF and neuropsychological tests were performed at baseline and after 6 and 18 months of intervention. After 6 months, we found a significant increase in gray matter volume in the left precentral gyrus in the dancers compared to controls. This neuroplasticity effect may have been mediated by the increased BDNF plasma levels observed in the dancers. Regarding cognitive measures, both groups showed significant improvements in attention after 6 months and in verbal memory after 18 months. In addition, volume increases in the parahippocampal region were observed in the dancers after 18 months. The results of our study suggest that participating in a long-term dance program that requires constant cognitive and motor learning is superior to engaging in repetitive physical exercises in inducing neuroplasticity in the brains of seniors. Therefore, dance is highly promising in its potential to counteract age-related gray matter decline.

Dancing or Fitness Sport? The Effects of Two Training Programs on Hippocampal Plasticity and Balance Abilities in Healthy Seniors

“…The cognitive development and BDNF changes are highlighted in our recent report (see Müller et al, 2017). The intervention was provided for 18 months and contained three time-points of measurement: baseline pre-test, first post-test after 6 months of training and second post-test after 18 months of training (see Figure 1 ).…”

Functional and/or structural brain changes in response to resistance exercises and resistance training lead to cognitive improvements – a systematic review

“…Although an increase in hippocampal volume was reported after both aerobic [24] and resistance training in older adults [130], few brain imaging studies are currently available that directly compare different types of physical training. For instance, it was observed that dancing conducted for several months led to a greater increase in cortical grey matter in frontal and temporal regions [298][299][300] and in hippocampal volumes [301] than a combination of resistance, endurance, and flexibility training. Hence, comparing different types of physical interventions (e.g., resistance training vs. aerobic training vs. dancing) with regard to their effectiveness in evoking structural and functional brain changes is an interesting topic for further studies.…”

Effects of an In-home Multicomponent Exergame Training on Physical Functions, Cognition, and Brain Volume of Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The study results revealed no increase in brain volume after exergame training. However, previous animal and human studies showed structural brain alternations after a variety of physical exercises in gray and white matter; for example after aerobic training (13,24,128,129), after strength training (15), after coordinative exercises (130)(131)(132)(133)(134), after dancing (111,121,135) or after Tai Chi (136). Moreover, changes in brain structure have been reported after cognitive training (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)137).…”