Intrinsic functional brain connectivity changes following aerobic exercise, computerized cognitive training and their combination in healthy late-middle-aged adults: the Projecte Moviment

Lifestyle interventions have positive neuroprotective effects in aging. However, there are still open questions about how changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) contribute to cognitive improvements. The Projecte Moviment is a 12-weeks randomized controlled trial of a multimodal data acquisition protocol that investigated the effects of aerobic exercise (AE), computerized cognitive training (CCT), and their combination (COMB). An initial list of 109 participants was recruited from which a total of 82 participants (62% female; age = 58.38 {+/-} 5.47) finished the intervention with a level of adherence > 80%. We report intervention-related changes in rsFC, and their potential role as mediators of cognitive benefits. For the AE group, we revealed a limited network of 11 connections showing an increased rsFC that involved mainly the anterior default mode network (aDMN), the posterior default mode network (pDMN : left middle temporal gyrus, and right precuneus), and a decreased rsFC that involved the pDMN (left fusiform gyrus (pDMN), right middle temporal gyrus (pDMN), left and right precentral gyrus), the hippocampus, bilateral supplementary motor areas, and the right thalamus. For the CCT group, we untangled a limited network of 6 connections as a combination of increased and decreased rsFC between brain areas located mainly in the aDMN and pDMN. In the COMB group, we revealed an extended network of 33 connections that involved an increased and decreased rsFC within and between the aDMN/pDMN and a reduced rsFC between the bilateral supplementary motor areas and the right thalamus. No global and especially local rsFC changes due to any intervention mediated the cognitive benefits detected in the AE and COMB groups. Projecte Moviment provides evidence of the clinical relevance of lifestyle interventions and the potential benefits when combining them.