Binu P. Thomas1,2,
Uma Sreekumar Yezhuvath1, Rong Zhang3,4, Benjamin
Yichen Tseng3,4, Benjamin Levine3,4, Hanzhang Lu1,5
1Advanced
Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,
Dallas, TX, USA; 2Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center/University of Texas at Arlington, TX, USA; 3Institute
for Exercise & Environmental Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian
Hospital, Dallas, TX, USA; 4Internal Medicine-Cardiology,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; 5Biomedical
Engineering , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/University of
Texas at Arlington, TX, USA
This study examines benefits of long term physical exercise on brain vasculature. 10 Masters Athletes (MA) (age=755.8) and 10 sedentary elders (age=755.6) were recruited. Cerebral vascular reactivity (CVR) and baseline cerebral blood flow were measured on a 3T. CVR is the ability of vasculature to respond to CO2 which indicates vascular elasticity. MA paradoxically show lower CVR compared to SED in frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital lobes and cerebellum. Baseline CBF is increased in MA in posterior cingulate/precuneus which is a node in the default mode network indicating a protection from age related reduction in vascular function in these regions.