Short-Term Fascial Circulation Exercise Modulates Task-Related Prefrontal Oxygenation During Executive Tasks in Older...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on fascia-oriented rhythmic movement's impact on executive function and prefrontal hemodynamics in older adults.
• This pilot study investigated the feasibility and preliminary associations of a four-week Fascial Circulation Exercise (FCE) program.
• The study focused on older Korean women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a four-week Fascial Circulation Exercise (FCE) program in older Korean women.
• To examine preliminary within-subject associations between FCE and changes in body composition, neuromuscular performance, executive function, and prefrontal hemodynamics.
• To provide exploratory data supporting future randomized controlled trials.

Main Methods:

• Twelve cognitively screened older women (mean age 74.3 years) participated in supervised FCE for four weeks.
• Pre- and post-intervention assessments included body composition, grip strength, isokinetic knee performance, executive function tests (TMT-A/B, CDT), and task-evoked prefrontal activation (ΔHbO) via functional near-infrared spectroscopy.
• Paired t-tests with effect sizes were used for analysis.

Main Results:

• FCE was feasible, leading to a significant decrease in fat mass (-0.71 kg, p=0.016) without changes in body weight or BMI.
• Selective improvements were noted in knee flexor peak torque and extensor endurance (p<0.05), with no significant changes in grip strength.
• Task-evoked prefrontal oxygenation (ΔHbO) increased in orbitofrontal, ventrolateral, and frontopolar regions, with behavioral improvements in the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and a trend in Trail Making Test B (TMT-B).

Conclusions:

• Short-term Fascial Circulation Exercise (FCE) is feasible for older Korean women.
• FCE demonstrated associations with reduced fat mass, specific neuromuscular improvements, and enhanced prefrontal cortical oxygenation during executive tasks.
• These exploratory findings warrant further investigation in randomized controlled trials to establish clinical efficacy.