Aging can be defined as a heterogeneous and heterochronic process of gradual functional deterioration involving various aspects of brain activity, documentable through EEG as a reduced hemispheric asymmetry. For several years now, the literature has highlighted a positive relationship between healthy aging and physical activity, regarded as a non-pharmacological preventive strategy against cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. In particular, complex physical activities, such as dance, improve sensorimotor integration during the execution of specific movements, increase intra-cerebral synchronization, and are easily accessible to an elderly population. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of dance in countering brain aging, starting from the new conceptualization of the homunculus proposed by Gordon et al. (2023), as well as from studies showing the involvement of certain areas of the temporal lobe in dancers and musicians. Therefore, functional connectivity was studied between a group of elderly dancers and a group of elderly non-dancers through electroencephalographic recording, focusing on three distinct networks (with unofficial nomenclature): the inter-effectors network, the action planning network, and the temporal auditory network. The results show a significant difference in Beta power between the two groups, with higher functional connectivity in elderly dancers between the inter-effectors network and the temporal auditory network in the Beta1 frequency and between the action planning network and the temporal auditory network in Beta2. This work advances the understanding of the neural effects of dance on aging, as well as brain plasticity associated with physical training in general.
L’invecchiamento può essere definito come un processo eterogeneo ed eterocronico di graduale deterioramento funzionale coinvolgente diversi aspetti dell’attività cerebrale, documentabili con l’EEG come una ridotta asimmetria emisferica. Da ormai diversi anni, la letteratura evidenzia una relazione positiva tra invecchiamento sano ed attività fisica, considerata una strategia preventiva non farmacologica contro il decadimento cognitivo e le malattie neurodegenerative legate all’avanzare dell’età. In particolare, un’attività fisica complessa, come la danza, migliora l'integrazione sensomotoria durante l'esecuzione di specifici movimenti, aumenta la sincronizzazione intra-cerebrale ed è di facile fruibilità da una popolazione anziana. Nel presente studio si vogliono valutare gli effetti della danza nel contrasto dell’invecchiamento cerebrale, partendo dalla nuova concettualizzazione di homunculus, ipotizzata da Gordon et al. (2023), e dagli studi che evidenziano coinvolgimenti di alcune aree del lobo temporale in ballerini e musicisti. Pertanto, è stata studiata la connettività funzionale tra un gruppo di anziani danzatori ed un gruppo di anziani non danzatori attraverso la registrazione elettroencefalografica, ponendo l’attenzione su tre network distinti (con nomenclatura non ufficiale): inter-effectors network, action planning network, temporal auditory network. I risultati mostrano una differenza significativa nella potenza Beta tra i due gruppi, con una connettività funzionale più elevata nei ballerini anziani tra l'inter-effectors network e il temporal auditory network nella frequenza Beta1 e tra l'action planning network e il temporal auditory network nella Beta2. Questo lavoro fa progredire la conoscenza degli effetti neurali della danza nell’invecchiamento, nonché della plasticità cerebrale associata all'allenamento fisico in generale.
Effetti della danza sul contrasto dell'invecchiamento cerebrale: uno studio di connettività funzionale EEG
MEZZAPESA, MAURO
2023/2024
Abstract
Aging can be defined as a heterogeneous and heterochronic process of gradual functional deterioration involving various aspects of brain activity, documentable through EEG as a reduced hemispheric asymmetry. For several years now, the literature has highlighted a positive relationship between healthy aging and physical activity, regarded as a non-pharmacological preventive strategy against cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. In particular, complex physical activities, such as dance, improve sensorimotor integration during the execution of specific movements, increase intra-cerebral synchronization, and are easily accessible to an elderly population. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of dance in countering brain aging, starting from the new conceptualization of the homunculus proposed by Gordon et al. (2023), as well as from studies showing the involvement of certain areas of the temporal lobe in dancers and musicians. Therefore, functional connectivity was studied between a group of elderly dancers and a group of elderly non-dancers through electroencephalographic recording, focusing on three distinct networks (with unofficial nomenclature): the inter-effectors network, the action planning network, and the temporal auditory network. The results show a significant difference in Beta power between the two groups, with higher functional connectivity in elderly dancers between the inter-effectors network and the temporal auditory network in the Beta1 frequency and between the action planning network and the temporal auditory network in Beta2. This work advances the understanding of the neural effects of dance on aging, as well as brain plasticity associated with physical training in general.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/79588