Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41405796›Full record

ArticleGeroScience2026

Engagement in more light physical activity and less sedentary time does not protect against age-related declines in cerebrovascular reactivity in healthy older adults.

Molly K Courish, Abigail V Wickens, Said Mekary, Myles W O'Brien, Derek S Kimmerly

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in GeroScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Molly K CourishAutonomic Cardiovascular Control and Exercise Laboratory, Division of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Abigail V WickensAutonomic Cardiovascular Control and Exercise Laboratory, Division of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Said MekaryDepartment of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
Myles W O'BrienDepartment of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
Derek S KimmerlyAutonomic Cardiovascular Control and Exercise Laboratory, Division of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. dskimmerly@dal.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3462-8037

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Decreased resting cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) are important age-related factors associated with an increased risk of stroke or dementia. However, these declines may be exaggerated by a sedentary lifestyle or blunted by engaging in more aerobic-based physical activity. The objective of the present project was to explore differences in resting middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv), CVR, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), light-intensity physical activity, and sedentary time between healthy younger and older adults. Transcranial Doppler assessed resting right MCAv, and repeated breath hold-derived CVR between 15 younger (27 ± 10 years, 11 females) and 14 older adults (67 ± 9 years, 9 females). Habitual activity was assessed via a thigh-worn activPAL monitor worn 24-h/day for (6.0 ± 0.8 days). As expected, younger adults had higher resting MCAv (65 ± 11 versus 40 ± 22 cm/s, p = 0.003) and CVR (5.2 ± 3.2 versus 2.0 ± 0.7 cm/s/mmHg, p = 0.004). Older adults engaged in less habitual MVPA (202 ± 103 versus 269 ± 81 min/week, p = 0.05) and sedentary time (10.2 ± 2.7 versus 12.2 ± 1.8 h/day, p = 0.048) but accrued more light physical activity (575 ± 91 versus 402 ± 89 min/week, p = 0.015). Despite engaging in more habitual light physical activity and less sedentary time, older adults still exhibited lower MCAv and CVR compared with their younger peers.

Indexed as

AgingCerebrovascular CirculationExerciseMiddle Cerebral ArterySedentary BehaviorAdultAgedBlood Flow VelocityFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedUltrasonography, Doppler, TranscranialYoung AdultAccelerometryAgeingCerebrovascular functionPhysical activityTranscranial doppler

Identifiers

PMID41405796
PMCPMC13601426

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.