Purpose

To determine the retinal tissue perfusion (RTP) and its relation to cognitive function in healthy older people after an 8-week high-speed circuit resistance training program (HSCT).

Methods

Eleven subjects in the HSCT group and seven age-matched non-training controls (CON) were recruited. The HSCT group trained 3 times per week for 8 weeks, while CON performed no formal training. One eye of each subject in both groups was imaged at baseline and at an 8-week follow-up, using a Retinal Function Imager to measure retinal blood flow (RBF). Retinal tissue perfusion (RTP) was calculated as RBF divided by the corresponding tissue volume. Cognitive function was assessed during both visits using the NIH Toolbox Fluid Cognition Battery.

Results

RTP was 2.99 ± 0.91 nl·s⁻¹·mm⁻³ (mean ± SD) at baseline and significantly increased to 3.77 ± 0.86 nl·s⁻¹·mm⁻³ after training (P < 0.001) in the HSCT group, reflecting an increase of 26%. In the HSCT group, the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test (PAT) and Fluid Cognition Composite Score (FCS) were significantly increased after HSCT (P = 0.01). Furthermore, the changes in Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test (FLNK) were positively correlated to increases in RTP (r = 0.80, P = 0.003).

Conclusions

This is the first prospective study to demonstrate that the increased RTP after HSCT was related to improved cognition in cognitively-normal elders, indicating RTP could be an imaging marker for monitoring cognitive changes due to physical activity in the elderly.

中文翻译：

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健康老年人循环阻力训练后视网膜组织灌注的改善

目的

确定健康老年人在 8 周高速回路阻力训练计划 (HSCT) 后的视网膜组织灌注 (RTP) 及其与认知功能的关系。

方法

招募了 HSCT 组中的 11 名受试者和 7 名年龄匹配的非训练对照 (CON)。HSCT 组每周训练 3 次，持续 8 周，而 CON 不进行正式训练。两组中每名受试者的一只眼睛在基线和 8 周随访时使用视网膜功能成像仪测量视网膜血流 (RBF)。视网膜组织灌注 (RTP) 计算为 RBF 除以相应的组织体积。在两次访问期间使用 NIH 工具箱流体认知电池评估认知功能。

结果

RTP 在基线时为 2.99 ± 0.91 nl·s ^-1 ·mm ^-3 （平均值±标准偏差），在 HSCT 组中训练后显着增加至 3.77 ± 0.86 nl·s ^-1 ·mm ^{-3 (} P < 0.001)，反映增长了 26%。在 HSCT 组中，模式比较处理速度测试 (PAT) 和流体认知综合评分 (FCS) 在 HSCT 后显着增加（P = 0.01）。此外，侧卫抑制控制和注意测试 (FLNK) 的变化与 RTP 的增加呈正相关（r = 0.80，P = 0.003）。

结论

这是第一项证明 HSCT 后 RTP 增加与认知正常老年人认知能力改善相关的前瞻性研究，表明 RTP 可能是监测老年人体力活动引起的认知变化的影像学标志物。