Improved cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with functional changes in hippocampus during episodic memory pattern completion.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- 2Umeå center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- 3Department of Medical and Translational Biology, Umeå University, Sweden.
- 4Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- 5Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 6Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen (ISMC) and Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Abstract
Background
Aerobic exercise that improves cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) may induce hippocampal changes that help counteract age-related memory decline. The Umeå HIT Study, a randomized controlled trial, examined three months of controlled high-intensity interval training (HIT) and moderate-intensity training (MIT) in older adults. Here, we tested whether increases in CRF (VO₂peak), regardless of training modality, predicted changes in episodic-memory pattern completion and hippocampal structure and function (CA4/DG, CA2/3, CA1).Method
Forty-two older adults (66-79 years, 45% males) not engaged in regular physical exercise participated in 3 months of twice-weekly supramaximal HIT (20 min including 10 × 6-s intervals) or aerobic MIT (40 min including 3 × 8-m intervals). Before and after the exercise interventions, the participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hippocampus, including an episodic memory pattern completion task with concomitant functional MRI.Results
Exercise-induced change in VO₂peak (M = 1.5 mL/kg/min, 95% CI[0.8; 2.3]) after three months aerobic exercise of HIT or MIT did not predict change in pattern completion (F(1,33) = 0.02, B = -0.061 p = .883, r² = 0.001). However, change in VO₂peak predicted BOLD signal change in the left hippocampal subfield CA4/DG (F(1,33) = 4.56, B = 0.06 p = .04, r² = 0.12), which in turn, predicted change in pattern completion (F(1,34) = 5.19, B = 0.026, p = .029, r² = 0.13).Conclusion
Three months of high- or moderate-intensity training which improves CRF may lead to hippocampal functional changes that, in turn, are linked to enhanced episodic memory pattern completion.
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BibTeX
@article{simonsson2026improved,
title = {{Improved cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with functional changes in hippocampus during episodic memory pattern completion.}},
author = {Emma Simonsson and Micael Andersson and Mattias Hedlund and Erik Rosendahl and Lars Nyberg and Carl-Johan Boraxbekk},
journal = {Aging brain},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.nbas.2026.100172},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927106},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Improved cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with functional changes in hippocampus during episodic memory pattern completion.
AU - Emma Simonsson
AU - Micael Andersson
AU - Mattias Hedlund
AU - Erik Rosendahl
AU - Lars Nyberg
AU - Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Aging brain
DO - 10.1016/j.nbas.2026.100172
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927106
AB - Background Aerobic exercise that improves cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) may induce hippocampal changes that help counteract age-related memory decline. The Umeå HIT Study, a randomized controlled trial, examined three months of controlled high-intensity interval training (HIT) and moderate-intensity training (MIT) in older adults. Here, we tested whether increases in CRF (VO₂peak), regardless of training modality, predicted changes in episodic-memory pattern completion and hippocampal structure and function (CA4/DG, CA2/3, CA1).Method Forty-two older adults (66-79 years, 45% males) not engaged in regular physical exercise participated in 3 months of twice-weekly supramaximal HIT (20 min including 10 × 6-s intervals) or aerobic MIT (40 min including 3 × 8-m intervals). Before and after the exercise interventions, the participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hippocampus, including an episodic memory pattern completion task with concomitant functional MRI.Results Exercise-induced change in VO₂peak (M = 1.5 mL/kg/min, 95% CI[0.8; 2.3]) after three months aerobic exercise of HIT or MIT did not predict change in pattern completion (F(1,33) = 0.02, B = -0.061 p = .883, r² = 0.001). However, change in VO₂peak predicted BOLD signal change in the left hippocampal subfield CA4/DG (F(1,33) = 4.56, B = 0.06 p = .04, r² = 0.12), which in turn, predicted change in pattern completion (F(1,34) = 5.19, B = 0.026, p = .029, r² = 0.13).Conclusion Three months of high- or moderate-intensity training which improves CRF may lead to hippocampal functional changes that, in turn, are linked to enhanced episodic memory pattern completion.
SN - 2589-9589
ER -