Trial reportWiener klinische Wochenschrift2010
Cognitive function in elderly marathon runners: cross-sectional data from the marathon trial (APSOEM).
Trial report in Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review of Psychological and Behavioral Correlates of Recreational Running.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- Decreased peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis study (N=7277).Molecular psychiatry · 2017Pooled it
- Physiology and Pathophysiology of Marathon Running: A narrative Review.Sports medicine - open · 2025Review
- State of Knowledge on Molecular Adaptations to Exercise in Humans: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions.Comprehensive Physiology · 2022Article
- Accelerometer-Measured, Habitual Physical Activity and Circulating Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2022Article
- Basal myokine levels are associated with quality of life and depressed mood in older adults.Psychophysiology · 2021Article
- Deducing the Impact of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Physical Performance on Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2021Article
- Decreased Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Concentrations 72 Hours Following Marathon Running.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Changes of Mood and Cognitive Performance before and after a 100 km Nighttime Ultramarathon Run.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- (Neuro) Peptides, Physical Activity, and Cognition.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Review
- High intensity endurance training is associated with better quality of life, but not with improved cognitive functions in elderly marathon runners.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Physical Activity in Preventing Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Decline: A Narrative Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Review
- Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Cognitive Function in Older Adults.Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 2017Article
- A combination of routine blood analytes predicts fitness decrement in elderly endurance athletes.PloS one · 2017Observational
- Article
- Low Vitamin D Levels Do Not Predict Hyperglycemia in Elderly Endurance Athletes (but in Controls).PloS one · 2016Article
- SOD2 in mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration.Free radical biology & medicine · 2013Review
- Physical activity, cognitive function, and brain health: what is the role of exercise training in the prevention of dementia?Brain sciences · 2012Article
- Association of cardio-ankle vascular index with physical fitness and cognitive symptoms in aging Finnish firefighters.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2012Article
- Systemic and cerebral hemodynamics during cognitive testing.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCognitive impairment of the elderly contributes to morbidity, loss of quality of life, and impairment of work ability in aging western societies. Thus strategies to maintain cognitive function at an advanced age imply a great challenge to Occupational Medicine.
aimTo study whether intensive endurance exercise training is associated with better cognitive performance and increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF).
methodsActive elderly marathon runners or bicyclists older than 60 years were recruited and matched with an inactive control group according to age, sex, and education years. After exclusion of various diseases according to the study protocol 56 athletes and 58 controls could be selected for follow-up studies. The influence of endurance training on cognitive function was assessed by the use of the Vienna Neuropsychological Test Battery and the CERAD test battery. Other relevant outcomes were the levels of BDNF, IGF-1, Apo e4 carrier state, and self-ratings.
resultsThe elderly marathon group performed better only in one specific cognitive task (the Five Point Test, p = 0.04) and almost significantly better in one additional test (the NAI Stroop Test, p = 0.08). Neither BDNF nor IGF-1 was related to the duration of daily exercise and no differences in the basal levels of these humoral growth factors in the exercise and the control cohort were found. Interestingly, we also found significantly decreased BDNF levels in subjects with Alzheimer's disease in the family in spite of the maintained normal cognitive performance (p = 0.01).
conclusionThese results suggest that extensive endurance exercise training might be beneficial for maintaining cognitive function in elderly persons. Our data demonstrate that beneficial endurance training effects are not linked to the upregulation of the examined neurotrophins. Since we found reduced BDNF-levels in subjects with a positive family history of Alzheimer's disease, we speculate that BDNF-reduction might precede cognitive impairment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.