fMRI insights into differential brain activation, executive function, and physical activity in older adults

Executive function is vital for cognitive health, particularly in older adults, where declines can lead to an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Physical activity (PA) has been linked to improvements in executive function, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.

This cross-sectional study involved 41 Chinese adults (21 young: 23.0 ± 2.12 years; 20 older: 63.30 ± 2.36 years) who were categorized as physically active (≥3000 metabolic equivalent (MET)-min/week) or inactive (<3000 MET-min/week). Participants performed fMRI while completing executive function tasks (Flanker, N-back, Switching). Brain activation patterns were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM), with significance thresholds set at p < 0.01 (voxel-level) and p < 0.05 (whole-brain corrected).

Physically active older adults showed significantly better accuracy and faster reaction times on the Flanker task than inactive peers. In young adults, those who were inactive exhibited greater activation in prefrontal regions during executive tasks. No significant differences in brain activation were found in older adults for these tasks. Additionally, activation in the right medial/paracentral cingulate gyrus (BA 6) negatively correlated with working memory reaction times in active young adults (r= -0.804, p < 0.05), whereas cognitive flexibility in active older adults positively correlated with activation in the right dorsolateral frontal gyrus (BA 32; r = 0.589, p < 0.05).

Active older adults require less brain activation to perform executive function tasks, suggesting enhanced cognitive efficiency. In contrast, young adults showed different patterns of brain activation, indicating potential compensatory mechanisms. These results underscore PA's role in optimizing age-specific cognitive strategies and underscore the need for longitudinal research to clarify causality.