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Physical activity and amyloid-β plasma and brain levels: results from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of Ageing

Molecular Psychiatry volume 18, pages 875–881 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Previous studies suggest physical activity improves cognition and lowers Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. However, key AD pathogenic factors that are thought to be influenced by physical activity, particularly plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) and Aβ brain load, have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The objective of this study was to determine if plasma Aβ and amyloid brain deposition are associated with physical activity levels, and whether these associations differed between carriers and non-carriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele. Five-hundred and forty six cognitively intact participants (aged 60–95 years) from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of Ageing (AIBL) were included in these analyses. Habitual physical activity levels were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Serum insulin, glucose, cholesterol and plasma Aβ levels were measured in fasting blood samples. A subgroup (n=116) underwent 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to quantify brain amyloid load. Higher levels of physical activity were associated with higher high density lipoprotein (HDL) (P=0.037), and lower insulin (P<0.001), triglycerides (P=0.019) and Aβ1−42/1−40 ratio (P=0.001). After stratification of the cohort based on APOE ɛ4 allele carriage, it was evident that only non-carriers received the benefit of reduced plasma Aβ from physical activity. Conversely, lower levels of PiB SUVR (standardised uptake value ratio) were observed in higher exercising APOE ɛ4 carriers. Lower plasma Aβ1−42/1−40 and brain amyloid was observed in those reporting higher levels of physical activity, consistent with the hypothesis that physical activity may be involved in the modulation of pathogenic changes associated with AD.

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Acknowledgements

BB is supported by a University Postgraduate Award from the University of Western Australia and a Freemason's Western Australia Student Award. Core funding for this study was provided by CSIRO, which was supplemented by ‘in kind’ contributions from study partners. This research is supported by the Science and Industry Endowment Fund. The AIBL investigators thank Richard Head of CSIRO for initiating and facilitating the AIBL collaboration. The study also received support from the National Health and Medical Research Council via the Dementia Collaborative Research Centres program. Pfizer International has contributed financial support to assist with analysis of blood samples and to further the AIBL research program. The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation Inc. contributed financial and in kind support to AIBL. We thank all those who took part as subjects in the study for their commitment and dedication to helping advance research into the early detection and causation of AD.

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Author notes

  1. B M Brown, J J Peiffer, K Taddei, J K Lui, S M Laws, V B Gupta, T Taddei, V K Ward, M A Rodrigues, S Burnham, S R Rainey-Smith, V L Villemagne, A Bush, K A Ellis, C L Masters, D Ames, S L Macaulay, C Szoeke, C C Rowe and R N Martins: http://www.aibl.csiro.au

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia

    B M Brown, J J Peiffer, K Taddei, J K Lui, S M Laws, V B Gupta, T Taddei, V K Ward, M A Rodrigues, S R Rainey-Smith & R N Martins

  2. School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

    B M Brown, V K Ward & R N Martins

  3. Sir James McCusker Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit (Hollywood Private Hospital), Perth, WA, Australia

    B M Brown, K Taddei, J K Lui, S M Laws, V B Gupta, T Taddei, V K Ward, M A Rodrigues, S R Rainey-Smith & R N Martins

  4. School of Chiropractic and Sport Science, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia

    J J Peiffer

  5. CSIRO, Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics, Floreat, WA, Australia

    S Burnham

  6. Mental Health Research Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    V L Villemagne, A Bush, K A Ellis & C L Masters

  7. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for PET, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia

    V L Villemagne & C C Rowe

  8. Centre for Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    A Bush & C L Masters

  9. National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    K A Ellis & D Ames

  10. Department of Psychiatry, Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Aged Psychiatry Service, St George's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    K A Ellis & D Ames

  11. CSIRO, Preventative Health Flagship, CMSE, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    S L Macaulay & C Szoeke

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Brown, B., Peiffer, J., Taddei, K. et al. Physical activity and amyloid-β plasma and brain levels: results from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of Ageing. Mol Psychiatry 18, 875–881 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2012.107

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