Abstract 007: Treadmill Duration Predicts Cognitive Function

Evidence is scarce for an association between treadmill performance and cognitive function in healthy young and middle-aged adults. We assessed the hypothesis that duration on treadmill predicts cognitive function 25 years later. Participants were from the population-based Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a multi-center study of black and white men and women aged 18-30 at recruitment in 1985-86 (year 0). The main independent variable of interest was baseline symptom-limited maximal treadmill test duration as a measure of treadmill performance potential, including its major subcomponent cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF/TPP). Cognitive functions measured were verbal memory (with the Rey auditory-verbal learning (AVLT)), psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)) and executive function (modified Stroop interference test, where lower is better). We analyzed 2444 participants who had y0 treadmill testing and y25 cognitive testing. For each additional SD of treadmill duration (2.8 minutes), the DSST was 2.4 digits correctly substituted higher, the AVLT was 0.36 words recalled higher, and the Stroop test time 1.7 seconds less, after accounting for race, sex, age, highest attained education level and center of clinic visit( Table ). Further adjustment for dietary pattern, physical activity, smoking, BMI, alcohol consumption, glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes status yielded similar trends for these cognitive function tests. In conclusion, CRF/TPP predicts cognitive function 25 years later independently of other factors among apparently healthy adults. Prospective estimation of cognitive function by treadmill duration at baseline in minimally and fully adjusted model (see text for details), N=2444. Year 25 Digit Symbol Substitution Test: Digits correctly substituted mean±SD: 70.1±15.9 Year 25 Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test: Words correctly recalled mean±SD: 8.3±3.3 Year 25 Stroop Test : Seconds to correctly name colors mean±SD: 43.9±12.8 Slope * SE P Slope * SE P Slope * SE P Year 0 treadmill duration (SD) mean±SD: 10.0±2.8 minutes Minimally adjusted 2.4 0.36 <.0001 0.36 0.08 <.0001 -1.7 0.31 <.0001 Fully adjusted 2.3 0.45 <.0001 0.39 0.08 <.0001 -1.2 0.39 0.001 * “Slope” is the difference in the indicated cognitive function per SD (2.8 minutes) of treadmill duration.