Exercise intervention in middle-aged and elderly individuals with insomnia improves sleep and restores connectivity in the motor network.

Rongrong Chen, Shilei Wang, Qinzi Hu, Ning Kang, Haijiang Xie, Meng Liu, Hongyu Shan, Yujie Long, Yizhe Hao, Bolin Qin, Hao Su, Yongchang Zhuang, Li Li, Weiju Li, Wei Sun, Dong Wu, Wentian Cao, Xiaoqin Mai, Gong Chen, Dongmin Wang, Qihong Zou

Journal: Translational psychiatry 2024;14(1):159

PMID: 38519470

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Plain Language Summary

Insomnia is highly prevalent in older adults. Exercise intervention has been recognized as a potential treatment to improve sleep. The most frequent exercise intervention includes aerobic and resistance exercise. The aim of this study was to identify the effects of a 12-week exercise program on sleep quality and brain functional connectivity in middle-aged and older adults with insomnia. This study was a randomised controlled trial. Ninety-two participants were randomly assigned to one of the two groups (exercise vs control group). Results showed that middle-aged and older adults with insomnia had decreases in both subjective and objective sleep quality. At the level of brain circuits, individuals with insomnia exhibited reduced connectivity within the extensive motor network. Following the exercise intervention, participants in the exercise group reported an improvement in sleep quality. Authors concluded that exercise intervention improved insomnia symptoms and motor network connectivity. Additionally, they underscore the potential to enhance sleep quality and promote brain plasticity in aging individuals through exercise intervention.

Abstract

Exercise is a potential treatment to improve sleep quality in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Understanding exercise-induced changes in functional plasticity of brain circuits that underlie improvements in sleep among middle-aged and older adults can inform treatment of sleep problems. The aim of the study is to identify the effects of a 12-week exercise program on sleep quality and brain functional connectivity in middle-aged and older adults with insomnia. The trial was registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR2000033652). We recruited 84 healthy sleepers and 85 individuals with insomnia. Participants with insomnia were assigned to receive either a 12-week exercise intervention or were placed in a 12-week waitlist control condition. Thirty-seven middle-aged and older adults in the exercise group and 30 in the waitlist group completed both baseline and week 12 assessments. We found that middle-aged and older adults with insomnia showed significantly worse sleep quality than healthy sleepers. At the brain circuit level, insomnia patients showed decreased connectivity in the widespread motor network. After exercise intervention, self-reported sleep was increased in the exercise group (P < 0.001) compared to that in the waitlist group. We also found increased functional connectivity of the motor network with the cerebellum in the exercise group (P < 0.001). Moreover, we observed significant correlations between improvement in subjective sleep indices and connectivity changes within the motor network. We highlight exercise-induced improvement in sleep quality and functional plasticity of the aging brain.

Address: Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.; Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Beijing City Key Lab for Medical Physics and Engineering, Institution of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.; Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Beijing City Key Lab for Medical Physics and Engineering, Institution of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Department of Physical Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Sports Coaching College, Beijing Sports University, Beijing, China.; The School of Sports Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.; China Wushu School, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.; Peking University Hospital, Beijing, China.; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China.; Beijing City Key Lab for Medical Physics and Engineering, Institution of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Department of Physical Education, Peking University, Beijing, China. [email protected].; Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China. [email protected].; Beijing City Key Lab for Medical Physics and Engineering, Institution of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02875-2