Hemispheric lateralization in older adults who habitually play darts: a cross-sectional study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Exercise training is one of the most effective ways of preventing dementia. In this study, we focus on exercise training using a dart game called Wellness Darts. Previous studies have shown that Wellness Darts is effective in preventing dementia through cognitive memory testing. However, the effects of continual Wellness Dart training on brain function are unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of sustained Wellness Darts practice on brain function in older adults. Here, we cross-sectionally compared the brain activity patterns between an expert older group who practiced darts continually against control groups of a non-expert older group and a younger group who had no experience with darts. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure brain activity, and their patterns were quantified by lateralization index (LI). The results showed that the younger group and the expert older group had significantly higher LI values than the non-expert older group and that these values did not differ between the expert older and younger groups. In addition, the accuracy of the dart-throwing test in the expert older group was positively correlated with the LI value. These results suggest that the Wellness Dart promotes hemispheric lateralization and has potential as exercise training in the prevention of dementia.