{"title":"The mediating role of depression on the association between physical activity and cognitive function among older adults.","authors":"HuanRui Zhang, Wen Tian, GuoXian Qi, XiuFang Wei","doi":"10.3389/fnagi.2025.1470256","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous studies had showed that physical activity (PA) can effectively reduce cognitive decline. Nonetheless, it is still unclear whether depression can mediate the relationship between PA and cognitive decline.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study encompassed 2,681 older adults (≥ 60 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study during 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 cycles. PA was assessed, including recreation activity, work activity, and walking/bicycling. Depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and cognitive function was assessed through a series of cognitive tests at the Mobile Examination Center. Utilizing weighted multivariable linear regression, we assessed the associations among PA, depression, and cognitive function. Additionally, a mediation model was employed to investigate how depression mediates the relationship between PA and cognitive decline.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that only moderate to high-intensity recreation activity and depression were associated with better cognitive function, including performance on the Animal Fluency Test (AFT), the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and the overall cognitive function (composite z-score), following adjustments for potential confounding factors. Depression emerged as a mediator in the relationship of moderate to high-intensity recreation activity with AFT, DSST, and the composite z-score, mediating 6.5%, 12.3%, and 10.5% of the overall association, respectively. Furthermore, in the sensitivity analysis that excluded participants with a history of stroke, the sensitivity analysis results remained consistent and stable.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study found that in older adults, increasing engagement in moderate to high-intensity recreation activity, rather than work activity or walking/bicycling, is related with a reduction in cognitive decline. Notably, depression emerged as a pivotal mediating factor in this relationship.</p>","PeriodicalId":12450,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience","volume":"17 ","pages":"1470256"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12446248/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2025.1470256","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Previous studies had showed that physical activity (PA) can effectively reduce cognitive decline. Nonetheless, it is still unclear whether depression can mediate the relationship between PA and cognitive decline.
Methods: This study encompassed 2,681 older adults (≥ 60 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study during 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 cycles. PA was assessed, including recreation activity, work activity, and walking/bicycling. Depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and cognitive function was assessed through a series of cognitive tests at the Mobile Examination Center. Utilizing weighted multivariable linear regression, we assessed the associations among PA, depression, and cognitive function. Additionally, a mediation model was employed to investigate how depression mediates the relationship between PA and cognitive decline.
Results: We found that only moderate to high-intensity recreation activity and depression were associated with better cognitive function, including performance on the Animal Fluency Test (AFT), the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and the overall cognitive function (composite z-score), following adjustments for potential confounding factors. Depression emerged as a mediator in the relationship of moderate to high-intensity recreation activity with AFT, DSST, and the composite z-score, mediating 6.5%, 12.3%, and 10.5% of the overall association, respectively. Furthermore, in the sensitivity analysis that excluded participants with a history of stroke, the sensitivity analysis results remained consistent and stable.
Conclusion: This study found that in older adults, increasing engagement in moderate to high-intensity recreation activity, rather than work activity or walking/bicycling, is related with a reduction in cognitive decline. Notably, depression emerged as a pivotal mediating factor in this relationship.
期刊介绍：
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience is a leading journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of the mechanisms of Central Nervous System aging and age-related neural diseases. Specialty Chief Editor Thomas Wisniewski at the New York University School of Medicine is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide.
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