Search

During advanced aging passive exercise (PE) is becoming a valuable therapeutic intervention to improve physical and mental performances. In the present study chronic low frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure was presented to senescent rats in order to clarify the behavioural effects related to cognitive and motility functions. Male Wistar rats of 30-32 months old were treated with EMF for six weeks, 3 times per week, 24 min per sessions prior to the age of 32 months. Stimulation intensities varied from 45 to 1250 μT. Psychomotility was estimated in an open field (OF), attention ability in novel object recognition (NOR), and spatial learning in the Morris water maze (MWM) tests. The results showed that EMF stimulation enhanced novelty-induced motility of vertical type, i.e. frequency of rearing activity was increased. In the cognitive tests EMF exposure increased attention-based discrimination in NOR and facilitated working memory type of spatial learning in the MWM tests. No undesirable type of side effects could be obtained even after the highest dose used. It is concluded that EMF stimulation in senescent age supports cognitive and psychomotor function in rats. The notion that PE may have complementary beneficial action on brain and motor functions in senescent age is strengthened by the present experimental results., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Regular assessment of psycho-physiological parameters in aged subjects helps to clarify physical and mental conditions which are important in the prevention of health-endangering events to assure a healthy aging. Thirty older care female residents consented voluntarily to participate in the study. The somatic and psycho-physiological parameters recorded were handgrip force, disjunctive reaction time, balance control and whole body movement coordination, the electrocardiogram and heart rate variability. Significant correlations were found between (a) reaction time and balance control efficiency (r = -0.567, p < 0.009), (b) reaction time and movement coordination accuracy (r = -0.453, p < 0.045), (c) cardiac state and movement coordination accuracy (r = 0.545, p < 0.016), (d) cardiac stress and cardiac state (r = -0.495, p < 0.031), and (e) cardiac stress and force (r = -0.822, p < 0.045). In conclusion, for the aim of establishing basic battery tests for assessing psycho-physiological condition of physical fitness our results emphasize the importance of systematic physical activity, endurance and strength training supporting muscle force, balance control and whole-body movement coordination, in addition to improving the cardiac stress index level. The strong interrelation among these parameters allows the drawing of a more complete view regarding the health condition of aged individuals.