Author: Boerema AS1,2, Heesterbeek M2, Boersma SA1,2, Schoemaker R2, de Vries EFJ1, van Heuvelen MJG3, Van der Zee EA2
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
<sup>2</sup>Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Molecular Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
<sup>3</sup>Center for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Conference/Journal: Dose Response.
Date published: 2018 Dec 4
Other:
Volume ID: 16 , Issue ID: 4 , Pages: 1559325818811756 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1177/1559325818811756. eCollection 2018 Oct-Dec. , Word Count: 203
The biological consequences of mechanical whole body vibration (WBV) on the brain are not well documented. The aim of the current study was to further investigate the effects of a 5-week WBV intervention on brain functions. Mice (C57Bl/6J males, age 15 weeks) were exposed to 30 Hz WBV sessions (10 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for a period of 5 weeks; n = 10). Controls received the same intervention without the actual vibration (n = 10). Humans (both genders, age ranging from 44-99 years) were also exposed to daily sessions of 30 Hz WBV (4 minutes per day, 4 days per week, for a period of 5 weeks; n = 18). Controls received the same protocol using a 1 Hz protocol (n = 16). Positron emission tomography imaging was performed in the mice, and revealed that glucose uptake was not changed as a consequence of the 5-week WBV intervention. Whole body vibration did, however, improve motor performance and reduced arousal-induced home cage activity. Cognitive tests in humans revealed a selective improvement in the Stroop Color-Word test. Taken together, it is concluded that WBV is a safe intervention to improve brain functioning, although the subtle effects suggest that the protocol is as yet suboptimal.
KEYWORDS: behavioral arousal; brain glucose metabolism; executive functions; motor performance
PMID: 30574028 PMCID: PMC6299320 DOI: 10.1177/1559325818811756