Increased heart rate variability and executive performance after aerobic training in the elderly

Abstract

This study examined the effects of two short physical training programs on various parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) and on executive performance in older people. Twenty-four sedentary men and women aged 65-78 years were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise program or a stretching program three times a week for 12 weeks. Resting HRV was measured in time and frequency domains in each participant before and after the 12-week programs. Executive performance was measured with the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST). Significant group-session interactions emerged for the standard deviation of normal beat-to-beat (R-R) intervals, the root-mean-square of successive R-R, and high frequency power. Only the aerobic training group increased vagal-mediated HRV parameters. Moreover, only the participants in the aerobic training group improved their performance on the WCST. These results highlight the role of aerobic exercise as an important cardiac and brain protective factor, and suggest a direct link between exercise, HRV, and cognition in the aged population.

Heart Rate Variability and Exercise in Aging Women

“…In contrast, Stein et al 22 demonstrated an improvement in HRV characteristics for older women exercising for 12 months, and Albinet et al 21 recently showed that HRV increased in older men and women after 12 weeks of exercise training. Still, these latter two studies comprised 18 and 13 women, respectively, who were further divided into two treatment groups.…”

“…[33][34][35][36][37] Thus, the improvement in parasympathetic activity in our study as higher HF power is associated with better cognitive performance, whereas low HF power is predictive of cognitive impairment in aging women. 14,15,35 The role of exercise also appears to be important, as Albinet et al 21 recently demonstrated that 12 weeks of exercise significantly improved vagal-mediated indicators of HRV, specifically rMSSD, as well as cognitive function, as measured by the Wisconsin card sorting test. Although the direct link between exercise training and cognitive function is still unclear, it has been suggested that modulation of cardiac activity by the prefrontal cortex is vagally mediated and part of the neurovisceral-integrated relationship between central and peripheral nervous system interactions.…”

“…Although several small sample studies have shown an improvement in HRV accompanying an exercise intervention in older participants, no such data exist in larger interventions using carefully monitored doses of exercise energy expenditure. [21][22][23] Given our collective observations with DREW, we asked the question whether women ‡ 60 years who exhibit an attenuated response in VO 2max also show a similar attenuation in their HRV response to exercise training.…”

Exercício físico e desempenho cognitivo em idosos: revisão sistemática

“…In the study conducted by Albinet et al 22 , the performance of at least 40 min of aerobic exercise reflected an improvement in cognitive performance and heart rate variability (HRV). The exercise program was performed three times per week for 12 weeks, using intensities between 40% and 60% of the heart rate reserve (HRR).…”

“…Of the selected studies, five performed interventions with aerobic exercise 10,[22][23][24][25] and four with resistance exercise. [26][27][28][29] The study by Albinet et al 22 compared a controlled intense aerobic exercise program (40-60% of the Heart Rate Reserve -HRR) with stretching exercises, both performed three times a week for 12 weeks, and demonstrated the benefits of aerobic exercise on the executive function and HRV.…”