Background

Increasing evidence suggests that the relation between mental health and physical health is bidirectional and underpinned by complex neural systems. Cardiovascular fitness is a key measure of physical health but its relation to mental health is insufficiently examined. Characterizing the neural mechanisms by which cardiovascular fitness influences mental health could inform the development of strategies to promote mental health and minimize the risk of mental disorders.

Methods and results

The relation between cardiorespiratory fitness, functional brain connectivity and mental health was studied in 418 healthy middle-aged (aged 40–65 years) adult participants of the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI). Higher cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by VO₂ peak, was associated with lower symptoms of anxiety (β = −0.111, p = 0.017) and stress (β = −0.242, p = 0.002) scores, evaluated by the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and its three subscales (stress, anxiety, and depression). Higher within-network functional connectivity of the Default Mode Network (DMN) was associated with higher VO₂ peak (β = 0.195, p = 0.002), and lower stress scores (β = −0.126, p = 0.011). In addition, higher functional connectivity between the Frontoparietal Network (FPN) and Salience Network (SN) was associated with higher VO₂ peak (β = 0.187, p = 0.002), and lower stress scores (β = −0.123, p = 0.016). Both within-DMN [ACME = −0.02 (-0.04,-0.00), p = 0.040] and between FPN-SN [ACME = −0.01 (-0.04,-0.00), p = 0.036] functional connectivity mediated the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and stress.

Conclusions

The relationship between the cardiorespiratory fitness and stress in middle-aged adults is mediated by functional connectivity of several intrinsic resting-state networks. These results highlight a potential mechanistic pathway through which higher cardiorespiratory fitness can positively impact brain health in midlife.

中文翻译：

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功能连接介导心肺健康与中年压力之间的关系。

背景

越来越多的证据表明，心理健康和身体健康之间的关系是双向的，并以复杂的神经系统为基础。心血管健康是衡量身体健康的一个关键指标，但其与心理健康的关系尚未得到充分研究。表征心血管健康影响心理健康的神经机制可以为制定促进心理健康和尽量减少精神障碍风险的策略提供信息。

方法和结果

巴塞罗那大脑健康计划 (BBHI) 的 418 名健康中年（40-65 岁）成年参与者对心肺健康、功能性大脑连接和心理健康之间的关系进行了研究。通过 VO2 峰值测量的较高心肺健康与较低的焦虑症状（β = -0.111，p = 0.017）和压力（β = -0.242，p = 0.002）分数相关，通过抑郁焦虑和压力量表（DASS）进行评估-21）及其三个分量表（压力、焦虑和抑郁）。默认模式网络 (DMN) 的网络内功能连接性越高，VO2 峰值越高（β = 0.195，p = 0.002），压力分数越低（β = -0.126，p = 0.011）。此外，额顶网络 (FPN) 和显着网络 (SN) 之间较高的功能连接与较高的 VO2 峰值相关（β = 0.187，p = 0.002），压力分数较低（β = -0.123，p = 0.016）。DMN 内部 [ACME = −0.02 (-0.04,-0.00), p = 0.040] 和 FPN-SN 之间 [ACME = −0.01 (-0.04,-0.00), p = 0.036] 功能连接介导心肺功能之间的关系健身和压力。

结论

中年成年人心肺健康与压力之间的关系是由几个内在静息态网络的功能连接介导的。这些结果凸显了一种潜在的机制途径，通过该途径，更高的心肺健康可以对中年的大脑健康产生积极影响。