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TOPLINE:

Increased levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity were associated with a delayed rise in the concentration of phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) in blood over time in older adults with memory complaints, a study found. The cognitive benefits were attenuated at elevated baseline p-tau181 concentrations.

METHODOLOGY:

• This post hoc secondary analysis of the MAPT trial included 558 adults with memory complaints aged 70 years or older, recruited from 13 memory centres in France and Monaco between 2008 and 2011.
• Participants were eligible if they had spontaneous memory complaints, a gait speed ≤ 0.77 m/s, or a limitation in instrumental activities of daily living. Individuals with a diagnosis of dementia, Mini Mental State Examination scores < 24, or limitations in basic activities were excluded.
• Concentrations of p-tau181 in blood were measured at baseline, 3 years, or both, and self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity and cognitive composite scores were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 1, 2, and 3 years.

TAKEAWAY:

• Compared with inactive individuals, those with low or high levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity showed a slower increase in p-tau181 concentrations over time (regression coefficient [β], −0.109; P = .028 for low activity × time; β, −0.114; P = .018 for high activity × time).
• Physical activity was not positively associated with cognitive composite scores when baseline p-tau181 concentrations exceeded 9.36 pg/mL for cross-sectional association and 3.5 pg/mL for longitudinal association.
• No association was found between baseline concentrations of p-tau181 and baseline levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

IN PRACTICE:

"These findings support the current recommendation of increasing physical activity as a preventive tool against neurodegeneration, but further investigations are needed," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Jérémy Raffin, PhD, Institut du Vieillissement, Gérontopôle de Toulouse, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France. It was published online on February 24 in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited by the use of subjective tools for assessing physical activity levels, which are prone to recall and response biases. Light-intensity physical activity was not considered and data on sedentary time were not collected. The study population was limited to adults aged 70 years or older, reducing generalisability. The assessment of education may not have fully captured variability. Additionally, factors such as fasting status were not controlled for, and the statistical analyses may have been influenced by missing confounder data and unmeasured confounding.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by grants from Toulouse Gérontopôle, the French Ministry of Health, and the Pierre Fabre Research Institute. One author reported receiving multiple research grants, consulting for pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, contributing to educational programs, and co-founding a biomarker company. Details are provided in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.