Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment

BackgroundThe impact of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) on cerebral oxygenation and cardiovascular responses to mental and physical challenges in elderly adults is unclear. This study compared the responses to mental (serial sevens test) and physical (isometric handgrip) challenges in olde...

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Main Authors: Stephanie Elbanna, Christopher Cortez, Elaina Smith, Jewelia Rattanavong, Sarah Ross, Geoffrey Kline, April Wiechmann, Hannah Dyson, Robert T. Mallet, Xiangrong Shi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Physiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1535045/full
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author Stephanie Elbanna
Christopher Cortez
Elaina Smith
Jewelia Rattanavong
Sarah Ross
Geoffrey Kline
April Wiechmann
Hannah Dyson
Robert T. Mallet
Xiangrong Shi
author_facet Stephanie Elbanna
Christopher Cortez
Elaina Smith
Jewelia Rattanavong
Sarah Ross
Geoffrey Kline
April Wiechmann
Hannah Dyson
Robert T. Mallet
Xiangrong Shi
author_sort Stephanie Elbanna
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundThe impact of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) on cerebral oxygenation and cardiovascular responses to mental and physical challenges in elderly adults is unclear. This study compared the responses to mental (serial sevens test) and physical (isometric handgrip) challenges in older adults with vs. without aMCI.MethodsThirty-one aMCI (71.5 ± 1.1 years old) and 30 cognitively normal (70.8 ± 1.1 years old) adults participated in the study. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), systemic arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), prefrontal cortical oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) contents, and tissue oxygen saturation (ScO2) were continuously monitored during 2-min serial sevens mental arithmetic test and 1-min isometric handgrip at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction. Test results in the aMCI vs. non-MCI subjects were compared by two-factor ANOVA.ResultsCardiovascular and tissue oxygenation responses to testing were similar in the two groups. Although MAP increased similarly during the mental and physical challenges, increases in HR (P = 0.020), SaO2 (P < 0.001), ScO2 (P = 0.001) and O2Hb (P = 0.022) were greater during the mental vs. physical challenges in both aMCI and cognitively normal subjects.ConclusionThe mental arithmetic challenge increased the metabolic demand of the prefrontal cortex to a greater extent than the physical task. Cerebral O2 content increased more appreciably during the mental vs. physical challenges, in parallel with greater increases in HR. However, aMCI did not alter these physiological responses to mental or physical challenges.
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spelling doaj-art-6d95a1cd9dbe4114b42f842660dba8312025-08-20T03:53:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2025-05-011610.3389/fphys.2025.15350451535045Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairmentStephanie Elbanna0Christopher Cortez1Elaina Smith2Jewelia Rattanavong3Sarah Ross4Geoffrey Kline5April Wiechmann6Hannah Dyson7Robert T. Mallet8Xiangrong Shi9Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Physiology and Anatomy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesBackgroundThe impact of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) on cerebral oxygenation and cardiovascular responses to mental and physical challenges in elderly adults is unclear. This study compared the responses to mental (serial sevens test) and physical (isometric handgrip) challenges in older adults with vs. without aMCI.MethodsThirty-one aMCI (71.5 ± 1.1 years old) and 30 cognitively normal (70.8 ± 1.1 years old) adults participated in the study. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), systemic arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), prefrontal cortical oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) contents, and tissue oxygen saturation (ScO2) were continuously monitored during 2-min serial sevens mental arithmetic test and 1-min isometric handgrip at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction. Test results in the aMCI vs. non-MCI subjects were compared by two-factor ANOVA.ResultsCardiovascular and tissue oxygenation responses to testing were similar in the two groups. Although MAP increased similarly during the mental and physical challenges, increases in HR (P = 0.020), SaO2 (P < 0.001), ScO2 (P = 0.001) and O2Hb (P = 0.022) were greater during the mental vs. physical challenges in both aMCI and cognitively normal subjects.ConclusionThe mental arithmetic challenge increased the metabolic demand of the prefrontal cortex to a greater extent than the physical task. Cerebral O2 content increased more appreciably during the mental vs. physical challenges, in parallel with greater increases in HR. However, aMCI did not alter these physiological responses to mental or physical challenges.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1535045/fullcerebral tissue oxygenationheart rate responseisometric handgripneurovascular couplingoxyhemoglobinserial sevens test
spellingShingle Stephanie Elbanna
Christopher Cortez
Elaina Smith
Jewelia Rattanavong
Sarah Ross
Geoffrey Kline
April Wiechmann
Hannah Dyson
Robert T. Mallet
Xiangrong Shi
Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
Frontiers in Physiology
cerebral tissue oxygenation
heart rate response
isometric handgrip
neurovascular coupling
oxyhemoglobin
serial sevens test
title Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
title_full Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
title_fullStr Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
title_short Enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
title_sort enhanced cerebral oxygenation during mental and physical activity in older adults is unaltered by amnestic mild cognitive impairment
topic cerebral tissue oxygenation
heart rate response
isometric handgrip
neurovascular coupling
oxyhemoglobin
serial sevens test
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1535045/full
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