Abstract
The main purpose of the study was to investigate whether baseline myeloperoxidase
(MPO) levels are associated with executive cognitive function in individuals with
high physical activity. Baseline serum MPO levels of 56 elderly marathon runners and
58 controls were assessed by ELISA. Standardized tests were applied to survey domain-specific
cognitive functions. Changes in brain morphology were visualized by magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI). High baseline serum MPO levels correlated with worse outcome in tests
assessing executive cognitive function in athletes but not in the control group (NAI
maze test p<0.05, Trail Making Test ratio p<0.01). In control participants, subcortical
white matter hyperintensities were associated with higher scores on the Geriatric
Depression Scale (p<0.05), whereas athletes seem to be protected from this effect.
During strenuous exercising, MPO as well as its educts may be elevated due to increased
oxygen intake and excretion of pro-inflammatory mediators inducing host tissue damage
via oxidative stress. This outweighs the potential benefits of physical activity on
cognitive function.
Key words
marathon - exercising - inflammation
