Seven-Day Pedometer-Assessed Step Counts and Brain Volume: A Population-Based Observational Study
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthBackground: To investigate the association between step counts and brain volumes (BVs)—global and 6 a priori selected cognition-related regions of interest—in Japanese men aged 40–79 years. Methods: The authors analyzed data from 680 cognitively intact participants of the Shiga Epidemiological Study of Subclinical Atherosclerosis—a population-based observational study. Using multivariable linear regression, the authors assessed cross-sectional associations between 7-day step counts at baseline (2006–2008) and BVs at follow-up (2012–2015) for age-stratified groups (<60 y and ≥60 y). Results: In the older adults ≥60 years, step counts at baseline (per 1000 steps) were associated with total BV at follow-up (β = 1.42, P = .022) while adjusted for potential covariates. Regions of interest-based analyses yielded an association of step counts with both prefrontal cortexes (P < .05) in older adults, while the left entorhinal cortex showed marginally significant association (P = .05). No association was observed with hippocampus, parahippocampal, cingulum, and cerebellum. No association was observed in younger adults (<60 y). Conclusions: The authors found a positive association between 7-day step counts and BVs, including prefrontal cortexes, and left entorhinal cortex in apparently healthy Japanese men.
Moniruzzaman, Kadota, Segawa, Ueshima, and Miura are with the Center for the Epidemiologic Research in Asia (CERA), Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Moniruzzaman, Kadota, Ito, Kondo, Hisamatsu, Ueshima, and Miura are with the Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Shiino, Syaifullah, and Tooyama are with the Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Fujiyoshi is with the Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan. Miyagawa is with the International Center for Nutrition and Information, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Hisamatsu is with the Department of Public Health, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
© 2021 Human Kinetics